Nov 24, 2001
SEATTLE (AP) - Doug Wrenn scored 22 points to lead Washington to a 69-49 victory over the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday.
Wrenn, a sophomore, sat out last season after transferring from Connecticut.
While Wrenn was taking care of business on the offensive end of the floor, David Dixon was a defensive force in the paint. Dixon set a Washington school record with seven blocks, which also totaled the third-most for a Bronco opponent. Washington's 14 blocked shots in the game was a school record and marked the highest total ever for a Bronco opponent.
"We've been pretty inconsistent all season and it showed again today," said Bronco head coach Dick Davey. "We've played reasonably well in the first half then haven't done too well in the second half. That might have a lot to do with our toughmindedness and a lot to do with our maturity."
Santa Clara (0-3) trailed Washington 38-37 with 13 minutes remaining, and the Huskies went on a 22-7 run over 10 minutes to seal the win. Washington's offense heated up after Wrenn was intentionally fouled by David Emslie on an attempted dunk with 10:19 to play in the game. C.J. Massingale scored 14 of his 15 points during that Husky run.
"Washington has a very athletic team that can beat you on the post and on the perimeter," said Davey. "There wasn't one aspect of their game we were most concerned with. We were concerned with just about everything.
"They had a lot going well for them in the second half. They went to the post with Wrenn, started making some shots and their confidence level went up. Sometimes when you start making your shots, your confidence improves and you start playing better as a team."
Kyle Bailey, Steve Ross and Justin Holbrook scored nine each for Santa Clara. The 49-point outing marked the first time in 173 games that Santa Clara was held under 50 points, dating back to a 70-49 loss to Penn State in the 1995 Cable Car Classic.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half with neither shooting very well. The Huskies' interior defense had a lot to do with the Broncos' .314 field goal percentage in the first half as Washington blocked seven shots before the break.
In the first 20 minutes of play, the Huskies shot .375 from the floor and turned the ball over 11 times. They performed better in the second half with only two turnovers.
Santa Clara went on a 13-3 run and led 26-19 with 2:42 to play in the first half. Washington then scored seven of the next nine points and trailed 28-26 at intermission.
Santa Clara returns home Tuesday to face South Bay rival San Jose State in a doubleheader with the women's team. The women's game begins at 6 p.m. with the men following 30 minutes after.