Monday Dots: Basketball and Softball Unblemished

Well, we all have a face

That we hide away forever

And we take them out and show ourselves

When Dots have gone

• It’s a happy Monday on Montlake after a strong weekend on the hardwood. The Husky women snapped a ten-game losing streak against Oregon with a 68-60 victory. While it hasn’t been a straight line up for the Dawgs, the program is still on an undeniable upward trajectory with a late-season surge and a recent win over #2 Stanford, writes Matt Calkins.

• The Husky men also flashed the defense that is (supposed to be) the hallmark of a Mike Hopkins team. The 61-47 win over Oregon State was hard on the eyes, but it kept the Dawgs above .500 on the year (15-13) and gave the team a weekend sweep over our neighbors to the south.

• Even without offensive theatrics, fans had plenty to cheer about in the OSU game. Jaylen Nowell took advantage of the NBA All-Star Break to attend the game and was honored with a framed jersey. Nowell has struggled with his shot for the Timberwolves this year while headed to free agency, so the feel-good moment was good for all involved.

• The Athletic has a tour around the Pac-12 with spring practices on the horizon. The various conference beat writers weigh in on the most compelling storylines for each of the conference’s teams. Aside from the defensive question marks for many top teams (Huskies included), the most interesting questions might be the QB situations at Arizona State and Oregon State, with a combination of incumbents, big transfers, and high-end recruits.

• Husky softball capped a perfect weekend with a 7-3 victory over Houston. A small-ball second inning yielded five runs, which was enough for the win. It says in the box score that Ruby Meylan gave up the first two earned runs of her collegiate career, but I’m going to assume that’s a typo.