Washington Beats Stanford, 78-69

Sophomore center Chris Welp scored 24 points Thursday night as the much-larger Washington Huskies broke open a close game late in the first half and went on to defeat Stanford, 78-69, at Seattle in the Pacific 10 Conference basketball opener for both teams.

The Huskies improved their season record to 9-2 while the Cardinal slipped to 8-3.

Washington took control in the closing minutes of the first half when the Huskies outscored the Cardinal, 16-7, in the final 6:18. Forward Detlef Schrempf scored 5 points and picked up an assist while the Washington defense shut down the Stanford offense.

Early in the game, the pressing Cardinal defense forced Washington turnovers, but the Huskies’ superior size inside enabled Washington to stay in front.

In the second half, the Huskies switched to a zone defense and at one stretch blanked Stanford for almost five minutes. The Huskies eventually led by 25.