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San Francisco-Washington Preview

Dec 26, 2009 - 8:49 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

San Francisco (4-9) at Washington (8-2), 3:00 p.m. EDT

Washington fans are eager to see yet another win at home. They would certainly prefer a victory without any more gruesome injuries.

The 22nd-ranked Huskies, in their first game at Bank of America Arena since a shocking injury to an opposing player, look to extend a 16-game home winning streak in a matchup with San Francisco on Sunday.

Washington (8-2) improved to 8-0 at home Tuesday night, beating No. 19 Texas A&M 73-64. The game, though, was overshadowed by an injury to Aggies guard Derrick Roland, who suffered a protruding leg fracture after landing hard under the rim, leaving the crowd stunned.

Most fans on that side of the stands turned their backs in horror. Huskies forward Quincy Pondexter called it "one of the nastiest things I've ever seen."

"It was hard to see that happen, but at the end of the day we needed the win," he said.

Pondexter had 25 points as Washington improved to 26-1 at home since the start of last season. The Huskies' only loss during that stretch was in triple overtime, 88-85 against California on Jan. 10.

This is their last tune-up before opening Pac-10 play Thursday in Seattle against Oregon State.

Washington is beating opponents by an average of 18.7 points at home this season. The Huskies now look for an easy home win over a West Coast Conference opponent for the second time in just over a week, having defeated Portland 89-54 on Dec. 19.

San Francisco (4-9), facing the Huskies for the first time, don't appear to be in any position to offer much more of a challenge than Portland did. They're 0-5 on the road, losing by an average of 18.6 points, and are 5-31 in road games since the start of the 2007-08 season.

The Dons, averaging 66.6 points, have to contend with a Huskies team that has been focusing on getting tougher on defense. Washington has held its last two opponents under 70 points after surrendering an average of 83.0 in its previous three contests.

"I think we're getting there," Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar said. "That's what we talk about. Our identity can't be how many baskets we make, how many times we dunk or how many times the crowd applauds. It has to be our defense."

Offensively, Washington is led by Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas. Pondexter is averaging 21.9 points and Thomas, last season's Pac-10 freshman of the year, has added 18.8 per game.

Thomas was held to a season-low nine points on 3-of-13 shooting versus Texas A&M, but matched a season high with seven rebounds while adding five assists. Thomas may at times be matched up with fellow sophomore guard Kwame Vaughn, who is averaging 13.2 points for the Dons.

Vaughn had 22 points and Dior Lowhorn scored a game-high 27 with nine rebounds as San Francisco snapped a three-game losing streak with an 82-73 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday night. The Dons had averaged 61.9 points in their previous seven contests.

Lowhorn is San Francisco's leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points. He has scored 20 or more in four of his last five games.

The Dons have lost seven straight and 14 of 15 against ranked foes, with the only win coming against No. 13 Gonzaga on Jan. 20, 2005.