Huskies Lean on Big 3, Franck Kepnang, Shut Down Northwestern, 76-62

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The Washington Huskies defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 76-62 in a Big Ten men's basketball matchup. The Huskies leaned on strong performances from their top players, including Franck Kepnang's 5 first-half blocks, Wesley Yates' 21 points, Hannes Steinbach's double-double, and Zoom Diallo's 15 second-half points. The Huskies played tough defense, holding Northwestern's leading scorer Nick Martinelli under 20 points for the first time in 12 games.

Why it matters

This win is an important one for the Huskies as they look to turn around their Big Ten struggles in the second half of the season. The Huskies' ability to rely on their star players and play stifling defense against a tough conference opponent shows they have the talent and potential to make a late-season push.

The details

The Huskies got off to a strong start, with Franck Kepnang blocking 5 shots in the first half to set the tone defensively. Wesley Yates then caught fire, hitting 3 straight 3-pointers to end the first half and extend the Huskies' lead. In the second half, Hannes Steinbach took over, recording his 14th double-double of the season and tying a Husky freshman record. When Northwestern made a late comeback attempt, Zoom Diallo stepped up, scoring 15 second-half points to help seal the victory.

• The Huskies next play Iowa at home on Wednesday.
• The Wildcats go on the road to face Illinois, also on Wednesday.

What’s next

It remains to be seen whether the Huskies can round into form down the stretch, but they are hopefully through the worst of what's been a brutal conference schedule. And if they play like they did tonight, maybe they can go on a run.