COLUMBUS, Ohio _ Since Selection Sunday, Washington has been stewing. All week, the Huskies heard about their inconsistent offense that sputtered and stalled in their last outing.
Ninth-seeded Washington came out firing in the first half on Friday and poured it on in the final minutes to capture a 78-61 victory over eighth-seeded Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies will face the winner of the game between No. 1 North Carolina and No. 16 Iona _ who face off Friday evening _ on Sunday.
Noah Dickerson broke out of a three-game scoring funk at just the right time and led the Huskies with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Jaylen Nowell added 19 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Nahziah Carter poured in 11. And Matisse Thybulle finished with 10 points, five steals, three blocks and two rebounds.
It completed a turnaround offensively for Washington, which tallied a season-low 44 points in last Saturday's Pac-12 tournament title game.
The Huskies led for more than 32 minutes and answered every challenge.
The Huskies held Sam Merrill in check for most of the game, before the Aggies' leading scorer drained a corner 3-pointer to cut UW's lead to 54-53 with 9:54 left.
That's when Carter came alive.
The sophomore guard converted or assisted on the next 11 points as UW regained control.
Carter drained back-to-back 3-pointers, hit a short jumper and found Dickerson beneath the rim for a dunk.
Washington closed the game on a 24-8 run.
Thybulle hit a dagger 3-pointer that gave UW a 72-58 lead with 2:48 left.
The Aggies received 13 points from Brock Miller while Neemias Queta added 11 points and five rebounds. Merrill and Abel Porter finished with 10 points.
Dickerson capped the first-half scoring with a short jumper at the buzzer to give Washington a 40-28 lead heading into halftime.
It was the Huskies' best first-half performance of the season. They shot 50 percent from the field (15 of 30), 40 percent on three-pointers (4 of 10) while hitting 6 of 6 free throws.
Washington also forced 11 turnovers that led to 12 points. UW outscored USU 20-12 in the paint.
At the break, the Huskies held Merrill scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting. He entered the game averaging a team-high 21.2 points.
After falling behind 11-5, Washington used a 9-0 run to take a 14-11 lead.
Utah State regained the lead (17-16) before Washington closed with a 24-11 spurt.
Thanks to Dickerson, Nowell and a ballhawking defense, the Huskies seized momentum midway in the first half.
Thybulle stole a Miller pass at midcourt and raced ahead for a breakaway dunk to put Washington on top 34-25 with 3:58 left in the first half.
"They scared," Crisp yelled during break while the UW players huddled on the sideline. "I'm telling you. They scared."
