SEATTLE – Somebody asked Andy Russo if he thought his team could bounce back from its deflating crumble-from-ahead loss to Kasnas on Monday night.
“Oh, yes,” Washington’s third-year coach piped up. “I’d hope we could build on that. Looking on the bright side, I think we’ll have guys who’ll have a lot more confidence when they take the floor.”
But Russo didn’t really sound very confident himself after his green and thin Huskies blew a 19-point first-half lead and lost 67-57 to the 18th-ranked Jayhawks.
In this part of the country, where it rains but seldom pours, Russo must be wondering why it’s pouring on him.
Washington played Monday’s game without a single returning starter from last year. Russo does have one, but he wasn’t here.
Guard Eldridge Recasner, who also happens to be the Huskies’ leading scorer (16.4), went home to New Orleans last week to be with his seriously ill mother and hasn’t retunred.
“I called him before I came (to the game),” Russo said, “and there was nobody home. I don’t know if he watched the game on TV (it was on ESPN), but I know he would have if he could.”
Without Recasner, Russo used one of his two seniors, Troy Worrell, at point guard. Worrell played all 40 minutes. So did two other starters, Jeff Sanor and Mark West.
The three players Russo used off his bench logged a mere 11 minutes on the floor, so perhaps what happened in the end to the obviously fatigued Huskies was inevitable.
But it sure was fun for awhile. The Huskies made 10 of their first 12 shots. They unleashed a three-point barrage, too, connecting on four of five bombs to amass that 29-10 bulge.
“I sure didn’t expect to get 19 down,” Kansas coach Larry Brown said, “but they were great.”
“Their shooting was unbelievable,” noted KU guard Otis Livingston,” They were hitting everything. They weren’t missing, but we were only down seven at the half, so we were confident from that standpoint.”
Kansas, in fact, outscored the Huskies, 18-6, during the last nine minutes of the first half to trail 35-28 at intermission.
Then about eight minutes into the second half, Kansas caught up at 44-all before finally spurting ahead for good, 46-44, on a Danny Manning basket with 10 1/2 minutes remaining.
“They shot phenomenal,” said Manning about the Huskies, “and that was something we hoped wouldn’t continue.”
It didnt. Washington players made an unconscious 12 of their first 16 shots, but it took 31 more field goal attempts to account for the Huskies’ last dozen buckets.
“It was a struggle,” Brown emphasized. “You’ve gotta be so thankful you could win. After losing to St. John’s last week and losing Archie (Marshall to knee surgery), we could have packed it in when we were down early.”
Mark West, UW’s 6-7 soph center, had an unuaual line – 13 rebounds, 10 points and seven turnovers.
Morrell, Jeff Sanor (4-of-7 from three-point range) and Mike Hayward led the Huskies, 4-7, with 14 points apiece.
