No. 16 Washington Huskies Cruise to Dominant Victory Over Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners

SEATTLE — The No. 16 Washington Huskies women's basketball team put up a historic scoring output in the first quarter en route to an 85-51 win against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners on Thursday at Alaska Airlines Arena.

The Huskies improved to 3-0 with the victory.

Washington came out of the gates dominant and led the visiting Cal State Bakersfield 35-8 through the first 10 minutes. It was the most points scored in a single quarter in program history.

"Loved how we started the game," UW head coach Tina Langley said in a postgame interview Thursday. "We knew Bakersfield was a team that can really get to the rim. They can put you at the free-throw line. They do a really great job getting downhill. Really pressure the ball, full-court (press). So I thought they really battled us well. But I like how we began the game. ... You can see this team starting to connect. You can see them starting to come together and there was some really beautiful moments of basketball tonight and we're excited to expand on that."

All 10 players available to the Huskies on Thursday played in the first quarter and six helped contribute to UW's program-record amount of points. Junior guards Avery Howell and Devin Coppinger and sophomore forward Brynn McGaughy led the way with seven points apiece. The trio shot a combined 8-for-9 from the field in the first quarter.

The Roadrunners weren't able to cut their deficit to less than 24 points for the rest of the game after Washington's dominant first quarter. After UW junior forward Tilda Trygger began the second half with a 3-pointer, Cal State Bakersfield went on a 7-0 run to cut its disadvantage to 53-29 with eight minutes, 37 seconds left in the third.

The Roadrunners found itself down by 24 again with 6:30 left in the third, but that was the closest the visitors were able to come to the Huskies' dominance.

Every single player that registered playing time for Washington scored at least three points.

"(The young players) have been tremendous," Langley said. "All of them can make an impact in the game. It was neat to have them on the floor together. ... At times, we were able to put them all in, which I think is pretty neat because they've worked so hard. They understand the system and it was neat to see them compete. Each of them brings something really special to the team."

Howell paced the Huskies with a game-high 21 points on a 7-for-9 mark from the field (6-for-8 from 3-point range). She also had four rebounds, two assists and a block in just 22 minutes played.

Trygger and Coppinger joined Howell in double figures. Coppinger scored 12 on 5-for-11 shooting (2-for-7 from beyond the arc) and added three assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal.

Trygger put up 11 on a 4-for-7 clip from the field (2-for-2 on 3-point attempts), had seven rebounds and two assists.

Washington senior guard Sayvia Sellers, who was the team's leading scorer entering Thursday and last season, transitioned into a facilitator for Thursday's scoring party. She was required for just 18 minutes of game action and finished with five points on one shot (3-for-3 from the free-throw line), two steals, one block and a game-high five assists.

It was Sellers' 100th game as a member of the Huskies.

"I love playing with Sayvia," Coppinger said after the game. "She's obviously an amazing scorer, can get to the basket anytime she wants, shoot it. But her passing is just amazing. She has great court vision and she's always had that, but this year, I feel like she's worked on it in the offseason. She sees the court beautifully and hits her posts, hits people in the corner. (At) three levels (she) makes great decisions and it's a blessing to have her on the court."

Washington will next be in action against the Washington State Cougars at 7:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash.