Plum leads No. 10 Washington past Arizona 91-55 (Feb 11, 2017)
SEATTLE (AP) It was a relatively quiet night for Washington star Kelsey Plum, and no one minded all that much.
Plum had 22 points and seven assists, and the 10th-ranked Huskies showed off their depth in a 91-55 victory over Arizona on Friday.
''I think we honestly need more of these games,'' said Chantel Osahor, who had 14 points and 19 rebounds. ''It takes pressure off of a lot of people. Other people contributing is better for us. It was very well-balanced.''
Plum, who was averaging 30.9 points coming into the night, was 6 for 12 from the field and 8 for 8 from the line. She also had five rebounds - and plenty of help.
The Huskies (22-3, 11-2 Pac-12) had four players score in double figures in their third straight win since a 72-68 loss to Stanford. Natalie Romeo and freshman Aarion McDonald each finished with 13 points.
LaBrittney Jones led Arizona with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The Wildcats (11-13, 2-11) have lost seven in a row.
Washington pulled away by scoring the last 21 points of the first half. Arizona was held scoreless for the final 7:26 of the second quarter.
''It's hard, because you're just trying to keep your team in the game,'' Wildcats coach Adia Barnes said. ''You're just saying, `Weather the storm. One possession at a time.' That's hard when they can manufacture so many points so fast at a high efficiency.''
Romeo's 3-pointer from the wing ran Washington's lead to 25 points, and the Huskies led 51-20 at the break. Washington shot 67 percent from the field in the first half and finished at 51 percent (30 for 59).
With a 71-34 lead through three quarters, Huskies coach Mike Neighbors got some rest for his starters ahead of Sunday's game against No. 23 Arizona State.
''The fact that we were able to execute, do what needed to do ... hopefully that will play dividends on Sunday,'' Neighbors said. ''I hadn't intended on resting them the whole fourth quarter, but I thought our subs did a fantastic job keeping the lead where it was at and not allowing anybody to make a run.''
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats remain in search of their first win since Jan. 15 against Washington State. Next up for the Wildcats is a rematch with the Cougs on Sunday in Pullman.
Washington: Thanks to Southern California's 70-50 victory against No. 9 Oregon State, the Huskies pulled into a three-way tie with the Beavers and Stanford for first place in the Pac-12. Washington has not won a regular-season conference title since 2001.
UP NEXT
Arizona visits Washington State on Sunday.
Washington hosts No. 23 Arizona State on Sunday.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Washington dropped three places after losing to Stanford late last month in Seattle, but can boost its stock with a successful performance against the Sun Devils on Sunday.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Plum showed off her passing ability midway through Washington's big closing run in the first half. Plum hit Katie Collier in stride with a lofted pass over a pair of defenders from the midcourt stripe. Collier brought the home crowd to its feet with a running finish with her right hand off the backboard.
