The Washington Huskies look to close out a perfect four-game homestand when they welcome California Baptist to Seattle for a Thursday matchup.
Washington (3-0) has not had it easy on its way to an undefeated start. The Huskies needed second-half rallies in a 75-67 defeat of North Florida on Friday and a 78-67 victory over Utah Tech on Monday.
Washington trailed North Florida by six points at halftime before scoring 47 second-half points. The Huskies scored 44 points after intermission against Utah Tech, including a 23-9 run over the game’s final 9:25.
Freshman guard Keyon Menifield scored 21 points on Friday and followed it up with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor on Monday. Menifield came to Washington as just a three-star recruit per 247Sports but has emerged as the Huskies’ primary offensive weapon.
“They said I was small, weigh less,” Menifield told Pac-12 Networks of his recruitment following the Monday win. “But mostly the coaches here (at Washington) said they were going to get me bigger and stronger, and they let my game speak for itself.”
Cal Baptist (2-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to Long Beach State with back-to-back wins over NJIT and Cal State Northridge.
In a 62-55 win over Northridge on Tuesday, the Lancers overcame 35.5 percent shooting from the floor by holding the Matadors to 3-of-17 shooting from 3-point range and forcing 14 turnovers. Reed Nottage scored 12 points off the bench, powering Cal Baptist to a 28-12 advantage in reserve points.
“Depth matters,” Lancers coach Rick Croy said on Inside Lancers Basketball before the season. “Guys are going to have to step up at different times during the season. They’ve got a good feeling for that.”
The Lancers’ defense has been solid through the season’s first three games, as Cal Baptist is tied for 60th in the country with an average of 59 points allowed per game. Opponents are shooting a collective 28 percent against Cal Baptist from beyond the 3-point arc.
–Field Level Media