Markelle Fultz didn’t score his “customary” 30 points, but he produced 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead the Washington Huskies to a 92-58 rout of Northern Arizona Sunday night at Alaska Airlines Arena (box). UW, which dropped its season opener to Yale, led throughout and improved to 2-1.
Fultz, a freshman who exceeded 30 in Washington’s first two games, connected on 6 of 9 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and was supported by Matisse Thybulle’s 15 points and Noah Dickerson’s 12 and eight rebounds. Freshman Carlos Johnson added 11 and David Crisp 10 as UW shot 51.3 percent.
UW also won the battle of the boards, 46-33.
The Huskies established the tone defensively on the Lumberjacks’ opening two possessions when Malik Dime blocked a shot and Thybulle forced a turnover.
The Lumberjacks stayed within striking distance into the second half, but Washington put them away in the game’s final 13 minutes. The Huskies opened up a 38-point lead, going on 33-10 run before inserting the last men on their bench.
The win was Washington’s most impressive of the season defensively after giving up 98 points to Yale and 88 to Cal State Fullerton. The Lumberjacks finished with 20-of-65 shooting (30.8 percent), including 8-for-29 from 3-point range.
Felix Rivera-Vega scored 11 and Ako Kaluna finished with 10 points and five rebounds for NAU.
The Huskies conclude a stretch of four consecutive home games to open the season against Long Beach State Tuesday before heading to Las Vegas for the Global Sports MTE tourney, where NAU is also a participant. The Long Beach State game will tip at 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks). Washington will play Western Kentucky in Las Vegas Friday at 5 p.m. PT.
