When perfected and run properly, first-year coach Mike Hopkins believes the Washington men’s basketball team’s newly installed 2-3 zone defense will be its “ice ball in a snowball fight” that tips games in favor of the Huskies.
Maybe so, but midway in the second half of Thursday’s exhibition, Hopkins abandoned the zone in favor of a frenetic fullcourt press and man-to-man defense that helped UW stymie the red-hot shooting Division II Saint Martin’s and erase a nine-point deficit after halftime.
The Huskies took control in the final four minutes to secure a 91-87 victory at Alaska Airlines Arena.