SEATTLE — Washington freshman Matisse Thybulle prides himself on his defense. Against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, he showed his offense is pretty good too.
Thybulle scored a season-best 16 points and fellow freshman Dejounte Murray added 17 to lead Washington to an 87-69 win over Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.
“I was just happy to get some shots up and they went in, so it was working in my favor. To get comfortable out there shooting my shots and seeing what I can do on offense was nice,” said Thybulle, who had gone scoreless three times in the first four games of the season. “I’ll take care of business on the defensive end, and if need be, I’ll take care of it on the offensive end.”
Thybulle’s previous high was eight points.
“He’s one of our offensive threats, too,” Murray said. “We try to tell him, stay aggressive. You’re not just a defender.
“I’m glad he shot the ball tonight.”
Thybulle’s points came efficiently. He was 6 of 7 from the field — including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.
“He’s kind of an opportunist right now,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “He’s such a good athlete and so quick he just kind of gets in there and has opportunities to make plays. When he’s playing aggressively, he’s capable of doing that. He came out and hit some shots from outside and you could see his confidence grow.”
Andrew Andrews had 15 points for Washington (5-2), his lowest total of the season after coming in leading the Pac-12 with 21.6 points a game. Andrews also led the team with 10 rebounds, for his third double-double of the season.
Malcolm Brooks led Cal State Fullerton (6-2) with 20 points, tying his career high. He set the mark on Friday at Seattle University. Lionheart Leslie had a career-high 16 points and Lanerryl Johnson added 13.
The Huskies led 46-37 at the half and extended it to 59-45 with 16 minutes left.
The Titans scored six straight points to cut the lead to eight points, but Washington answered with a 9-1 run. It included a fast break dunk by Malik Dime, immediately followed by a steal and layup by Murray to give Washington a 68-52 lead.
“We got a lot of baskets in transition as a result of our defense,” Romar said. “That was the recipe to get going — bear down on the defensive end.”
After Johnson hit a pair of free throws for Cal State Fullerton, the Huskies reeled off the next eight points, building the margin to more than 20 points for the first time.
In the first half, Cal State Fullerton scored first and built an 11-point lead eight minutes into the game. Washington took the lead for the first time on Thybulle’s 3-pointer with 4:23 left. Washington kept the lead the rest of the way.
“Sometimes I feel like we think we can just walk out on the floor and it’s just going to happen,” Romar said. “Hopefully in a win, we can learn these lessons, that we’re only going to be successful if we come out and get after it on the defensive end.”
TIP-INS
Washington: The Huskies were outrebounded by Cal State Fullerton 43-42, the first time they’ve been outrebounded in a win this season. Washington entered the game averaging 49 rebounds, which is the best mark since the team averaged 49.2 rebounds in the 1974-1975 season.
Cal State Fullerton: The Titans came into the game with a six-game winning streak, their longest since 2011-2012. The loss kept them from equaling the school’s best start since the 1986-87 team started 7-1.
UP NEXT
Washington continues its eight-game homestand against TCU on Tuesday. It is the first time the Huskies have played eight straight games at home since the 1949-50 season.
