SEATTLE _ Nahziah Carter, Washington's high-flying dunk artist, put on a show during the 25th-ranked Huskies' 72-53 win over Maine on Tuesday night that had Alaska Airlines spectators wondering which of his three highlight dunks was most spectacular.
Was it his long reach to recover of an alley-oop slam that led to a one-handed slam off an assist from Jaden McDaniels?
Or maybe it was the two-handed flush on a fast-break feed from Quade Green?
But who are we kidding? It had to be Carter's show-stopper _ a steal at midcourt before a breakaway sprint culminating with the kind of sailing windmill flush that had fans, including Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, on their feet and gasping in awe.
"He's just, he's an incredible finisher, especially dunking the ball," UW coach Mike Hopkins said. "He's definitely a game dunker. There's a lot of dunk-contest guys and then there are guys that are great in-game dunkers. Naz is a great in-game dunker."
Carter's dunk trifecta highlighted UW's 19-5 run that blew open the game and essentially put the Black Bears away.
Washington, which has struggled with slow starts in each of its previous three games, labored in the opening minutes of a game that was tied 9-9 with 11:56 left in the first.
The Huskies were up 19-13 when McDaniels lobbed a pass to Carter for a flush.
Green, who scored a layup on the next possession, collected a steal on UW's next offensive trip that led to Carter's two-hand jam and a 25-13 lead.
After a Green three-pointer and Sam Timmins' put-back, Carter manufactured a highlight that harkened memories of great UW dunker Terrence Ross.
The UW junior swiped a pass form Ja'Shonte Wright-Mcleish at the top of the key and had an unobstructed path to the rim. Carter dashed inside the paint, leaped and rotated the ball around for a powerful one-hand flush.
The basket put the Huskies up 32-13 with 3:48 remaining in the first half and proved to be the knockout blow for Maine (1-3), which lost its third straight game.
Washington (3-1) never let the Black Bears get closer than 16 points the rest of the way and stretched its lead to 24 points in the second half.
Isaiah Stewart had 16 points and nine rebounds _ both game highs _ and Green tallied 11 points.
However, the story of this game was Carter, who finished with just eight points but still managed to control the game.
The Huskies dominated the first half and led 36-18 at the break. UW was outscored 36-35 in the second half.
The blowout win allowed Hopkins to empty the bench as freshmen Marcus Tsohonis and RaeQuan Battle made their UW debuts.
