Huskies Fall to No. 4 Mississippi State 103-56

Thursday, December 20

Seattle, WA

7:00 PM

University of Washington

7-5

103

Mississippi State

11-1

Mississippi State

103

Washington

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

December 20, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SEATTLE --- Alexis Griggsby had a team-high 11 points while Hannah Johnson added 10 points but Washington was unable to pull off the upset, falling 103-56 to No. 4 Mississippi State in its final non-conference game on Thursday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.

The Huskies drop to 7-5 with the loss, while the Bulldogs improve to 11-1 on the season.

Washington struggled with the height and athleticism of Mississippi State throughout the night. The Bulldogs, who lead the NCAA in rebounding and are among the top five in shooting percentage, out-rebounded the Huskies 45-25. MSU also controlled the paint, outscoring Washington 62-20 in the paint.

Mississippi State opened the game with buckets on their first three possessions to take an early 7-0 lead just 1:30 in. Hannah Johnson drained a three-pointer to get the Huskies on the board out of the early timeout. However, the Bulldogs would rattle off another 11-0 run to go up 18-3 five minutes in. TT Watkins got the Huskies an offensive rebound and putback to end the run, but Mississippi State would continue its hot shooting and held a 28-7 lead after one.

After the teams exchanged buckets, the Huskies cut into the lead with a quick 7-2 run to make it 34-16 at the 7:15 mark. But the Bulldogs would answer that run with six-straight over the next two minutes to go back up 40-16 and cruised to a 56-21 lead after one half.

The third quarter went back and forth through the first seven minutes until the Huskies got back-to-back three-pointers from Alexis Griggsby to make it 72-36 with 2:54 left. Washington would close the quarter with some solid defense and Griggsby had a great look at a buzzer beating touch three-pointer from the wing. However, despite originally being counted, it was waived off upon review.

Griggsby would get her third three of the game in the early minutes of the fourth quarter—a career-high for the sophomore. Khayla Rooks would add a pair of three-pointers in the quarter as well, finishing with six points on 2-of-3 shooting. Griggsby would add four assists in the period.

Jordan Danberry had a career-high 20 points to lead five Bulldogs in double-figures. Teaira McCowan, who could be the top pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, had 13 points and 13 rebounds in just 21 minutes.

The Huskies did set a season-high with eight blocks in the game—the most since the 2016-17 season. Darcy Rees and TT Watkins each had two while Mai-Loni Henson, Amber Melgoza, Missy Peterson and Haley Van Dyke each had one.

Washington closes out its non-conference schedule with a 7-5 record against some tough competition. The Huskies' opponents have a combined record of 71-39, which includes Seattle U at 0-12.

Washington returns to the court on Dec. 30, opening Pac-12 play at home against cross-state rival Washington State in the first game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series. The game tips off at 2:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.