Husky newcomer Dalayah Daniels embodies Tina Langley’s vision of positionless basketball that’s quickly becoming the defining characteristic of the Washington women’s basketball team.
It’s not uncommon to see the 6-foot-4 forward collect a defensive rebound and start dribbling up the court on a fast break instead of passing to a guard to initiate the offense.
“I think my team knows my capabilities, and we’re all starting to learn each other,” said Daniels, a sophomore who played with the California Golden Bears last season. “They know I can push it and they just run with me, and that makes it a lot easier when we can play that way.”
Daniels and the Huskies took control early Friday night and were never seriously threatened in the second half by UC Davis during an 82-60 nonconference victory at Alaska Airlines Arena.
“I just love the way we share the ball,” said Langley, who noted UW finished with 15 assists on 30 field goals. “I think we got a lot of players that can score the ball. I think this is a really unselfish team, which is really fun to watch and honestly a blessing to coach. I think we’re having a lot of fun together and learning each other.”
Daniels led Washington (2-0) with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, which was a significant improvement from her UW debut Monday when she converted three of seven shots for eight points.
“In today’s era it’s getting to positionless,” Daniels said. “Just because you’re called a 4 or a 5, you don’t have to play like one. I think that’s something I’ve tried to put an emphasis on, and I’m just trying to be there for my team in whatever way I can. I think it’s important that I know my role because I think everything else falls into place when I do that.”
The Huskies forced 19 turnovers, which resulted in 22 points and outscored the Aggies 18-10 in fast break points. Washington shot 51.7% from the field, including 6 of 17 on three-pointers while UC Davis was 46.9% on field goals.
Tied 7-7, Washington used a 10-0 run to go ahead 17-7 and never looked back. UW led 25-14 after the first quarter; Daniels capped their scoring in the first half with a layup for a 41-32 lead at halftime.
The Huskies put the game out of reach in the third quarter while outscoring the Aggies 21-11 to go up 62-43.
Langley emptied the bench in the fourth quarter and all 12 available players participated for UW, which led for 37½ minutes.
When asked the difference between this season’s UW team and previous squads, Haley Van Dyke, a fifth-year senior, noted their depth.
“One thing that’s super noticeable is how deep we are,” said Van Dyke, who finished with 14 points. “Obviously, it takes a lot of pressure off of everyone because you know everyone can play and you know everyone can score the ball and everyone is playing for each other. It’s definitely noticeable this season.”
Evanne Turner tallied a game-high 20 points, including five three-pointers, and Sydney Burns had 13 for UC Davis (1-1).
The Aggies, who finished 15-13 last season, were picked fifth in the 11-team Big West preseason coaches poll.
Washington has won two straight games against UC Davis and evened the all-time series, which began in 2007, at 2-2.
UW’s four-game homestand resumes Thursday versus UC Irvine.
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