Huskies escape Eastern

Play a Big Sky opponent these days, and the Washington basketball team can pretty much count on the following weather pattern to swirl through Edmundson Pavilion: Dark clouds with a chance of clearing.

On Friday night before a sellout crowd, the Huskies slipped 12 points behind Eastern Washington in the opening half, five days after trailing Sacramento State by 13 early on, before they rode out the non-conference turbulence for a hard-pressed 90-83 victory.

The outcome kept the UW unbeaten in five outings yet wondering just how much adversity it can and will withstand with a rebuilt club.

Sophomore forward Jon Brockman's two free throws with 4:24 left to play gave the Huskies the lead for good at 79-77, though things remained very much in doubt until the final minute against the Eagles (2-3).

Rodney Stuckey largely was the reason the UW struggled and then couldn't relax, requiring three different defenders to try to stop him. The sophomore guard and Kentwood High School alumnus tossed in a game-high 31 points, 21 in the opening half. He dropped in 11 of 25 shots, hit all six of his free throws and had four assists.

"He was amazing," said Huskies sophomore guard Justin Dentmon, who had a career night, leading his team with 23 points before fouling out. "Great scorer. He's an all-around player. He can shoot, pass and go off the dribble. You don't get that too much. Usually guys can do just one thing well."

The home team looked like it was in huge trouble with 3:19 left in the first half when Stuckey put a clever head fake on UW freshman guard Adrian Oliver, darted around him for a one-hander in the key and crashed into Brockman, drawing a foul in the process. His three-point play had Eastern on top 47-35 and the Huskies reeling.

For Oliver, the guy victimized on that play, it was only a temporary setback. He supplied five points as the UW closed the half with an 11-0 run, providing an eye-opening play as the buzzer sounded. He let fly with a 40-foot shot on the run, letting go with a baseball throw with a defender on him, and brought the crowd of 10,000 out of their seats when the ball whistled through the net, pulling his team within 47-46 at the break.

"It's worthy of 'SportsCenter,' I know that," UW coach Lorenzo Romar said.

While fellow freshmen Quincy Pondexter has been a season-long starter and Spencer Hawes the team's most talked-about player since the day practice opened, Oliver was the first-year guy who made his move for a greater role, which was fairly evident on the stat sheet.

The Modesto, Calif., import supplanted junior Ryan Appleby as the off guard starter for the second half and played 31 minutes, second only to Pondexter's 32. Oliver finished with a career-high in five categories -- 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.

"I feel I made a big step forward," he said. "Tonight was a big step for me and my team."

Oliver also got credit for keeping Stuckey scoreless for more than eight minutes of the second half, with the Huskies going from a 65-62 deficit to an 86-79 lead in the process. The UW rookie was on the receiving end of two Stuckey charges, making the Eagles standout less effective on offense.

"I thought for us Adrian Oliver was the catalyst of our team in terms of providing energy," Romar said.

The UW coach said his young team collectively still hasn't figured out how to sustain a high-energy level for a long period. Still, the Huskies remain well rounded in their approach. Five players finished in double-figure scoring. Pondexter had 15 points and eight rebounds, Hawes chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, and Brockman had 11 points and eight rebounds.

There are mixed feelings about the UW's early season performance so far.

"We haven't felt good about any of our wins," Oliver said. "Against Gonzaga and LSU, we can't come out like this."

"I feel good," Dentmon said. "I think people underestimate these mid-major schools. I think a lot of mid-majors are going to make names for them, and Eastern Washington is one of them."

The Huskies now take four days off before hosting Idaho, hoping for minimal difficulty.

HUSKIES 90, E. WASH. 83

NEXT: Huskies vs. Idaho, Wednesday,

Edmundson Pavilion, 7 p.m.

TV/RADIO: No TV; KJR-AM/950

GAME IN REVIEW

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Playing before many friends and family members, Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey was the best player on the floor, the best NBA prospect on display, exhibiting sensational moves and quickness. Finishing with 31 points, the sophomore guard from Kent surpassed 30 or more for the eighth time in his career.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Adrian Oliver's first-half buzzer-beater. It measured 40 feet in distance and five stars in degree of difficulty, coming on the run, under pressure and one-handed. "I almost made one against Northern Iowa," the UW freshman guard said of a late heave. "I was due for one."

CAREER MOVES: UW sophomore guard Justin Dentmon's team-high 23 points were a career high, six better than his previous best, while Oliver's 14 also were a new personal standard, five better than his previous mark. Dentmon said he played sick, struggling for energy and wind at times.

VIP SECTION: Justin Holiday, a signed UW recruit and 6-foot-6 swingman, and his brother, Jrue, a 6-3 junior and considered one of the nation's top guard prospects next year, were in attendance. Not missing anything, the student section chanted the names of the Holidays before tipoff.

ZAGS COUNTDOWN: Washington and Gonzaga, two teams that have beaten Eastern Washington, will meet two weeks from tonight in Spokane. Stuckey expects a close contest, saying, "When they play each other, it's going to be a battle."

NEXT UP: Idaho, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Edmundson Pavilion. UW won 90-67 last season.

-- Dan Raley

P-I reporter Dan Raley can be reached at 206-448-8008 or danraley@seattlepi.com.

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