SEATTLE (Interstat) — In a grinding, defensive struggle defined by missed shots and blocked attempts, the Washington Huskies leaned on a dominant interior presence and the late-game scoring of Zoom Diallo to pull away from the Utah Utes for a 74-65 victory in a Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game Monday night at a subdued Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

A crowd of 7,721 watched as the Huskies improved to 9-4 overall, while Utah fell to 8-5 in the final non-conference tune-up for both teams.

The most important part of the game was Washington’s overwhelming defensive performance at the rim, which stifled Utah’s offense throughout the night and ultimately broke the Utes’ spirit in the second half. The Huskies blocked nine shots, led by Franck Kepnang’s six rejections, which altered countless other attempts and held Utah to a frigid 39.1% shooting from the field. This defensive wall was the cornerstone of the victory, compensating for Washington’s own offensive struggles from beyond the arc, where they made just 3 of 15 attempts.

The game was a one-point affair late in the first half before Washington took a 36-37 lead into the break. The Huskies then methodically built their advantage after halftime. With the score 45-42 and just over 15 minutes remaining, Washington delivered a decisive sequence. Terrence Brown’s dunk attempt for Utah was emphatically swatted by Kepnang. On the ensuing possession, Diallo found Hannes Steinbach for an alley-oop dunk, forcing a Utah timeout and energizing the home crowd. That block-and-score sequence epitomized the game’s flow and stretched the lead to five, a margin the Utes would never seriously threaten again.

Diallo, a guard from Tacoma, Washington, was the game’s top star, scoring a game-high 24 points and dishing out 7 assists. He was instrumental in Washington’s second-half push, attacking the basket consistently and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, including two clutch makes in the final minute to seal the win.

He was supported by a pair of efficient 20-point performances. Steinbach, the 6-foot-11 forward from Germany, scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds. Desmond Claude added 21 points, with 15 coming in the second half, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.

Utah was led by Terrence Brown’s 21 points, though he needed 22 shots to get there. Keanu Dawes added 17 points for the Utes, who won the offensive rebounding battle 10-4 but could not overcome their poor shooting. Utah shot just 29.2% from three-point range and 57.1% from the free-throw line.

Washington’s offense, while not pretty, was more effective inside, shooting 50.9% from the field overall and converting 17 of 20 free throws. The Huskies also committed only 10 turnovers against Utah’s pressure defense, which recorded 7 steals.

The game’s pace was deliberate, with Washington using 68 possessions to Utah’s 73. The Huskies’ offensive rating of 108.0 far surpassed the Utes’ mark of 89.5, highlighting the stark difference in efficiency.

The victory allowed Washington to cover the pregame spread as an 11.5-point favorite, though the combined point total of 139 fell well under the over/under line of 157. The result was largely in line with statistical projections, which gave the Huskies a 66% probability to win.

Utah now looks ahead to its Big Ten opener at home against Arizona on Jan. 3. Washington begins its conference slate on the road with a challenging trip to Indiana on Jan. 4, followed by a visit to Purdue on Jan. 7.