Pondexter leads UW past Oliver, Spartans

Nov 23, 2009, 12:00 AM

You probably knew Quincy Pondexter and former-UW guard Adrian Oliver didn't like each other. The non-descript, vague comments from Pondexter before last week's game against San Jose State, Oliver's new team, were enough to draw a reasonable conclusion. They're not friends. Pondexter probably didn't want to make a big deal out of it before the game. Fair enough. But after the Huskies' 80-70 win over the Spartans Friday, Pondexter made it very clear just how fractured the former roommates' once-close relationship had become after Oliver transferred in December of 2007. "We didn't leave on such good terms when he left," said Pondexter, who came to the UW in the same recruiting class as Oliver. "It just happened, you know?" So it was kind of obvious that Pondexter had a little something extra to prove Friday, perhaps part of the reason why he shredded the Spartans for a career-high 30 points and 15 rebounds, scoring the Huskies' first 13 points of the second half by sliding his way through SJSU's zone defense and attacking the rim whenever possible. Oliver led all scorers with 32 on 8-23 shooting. He was 14-17 from the free-throw line. "He's alright," UW guard Isaiah Thomas conceded. "Obviously, Adrian is a big part of their team," UW head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "He scored a lot of points tonight. No, I'm not surprised he did what he did. He's a really good player - always has been." That's just fine with Pondexter. "Adrian got what he wanted," Pondexter said. "He's at a school where he can score as many points as he wants, but I'd rather be here where I'm at. We're winning games. He got 32; I got the win. I'm happy." It wasn't easy at times for the Huskies, who seemed to struggle a bit against San Jose State's zone in the first half and led only 37-31 at halftime. But the UW clamped down defensively and let Pondexter take over in the second half, the lead swelling as high as 14 after an Elston Turner 3-pointer capped a 14-5 run with 8:37 left to give the Huskies a 64-50 lead. "It was fun," Oliver said. "It was a fun game, fun environment. It was a good challenge for [our] team. The only thing is, we came out short." This was the second consecutive game in which Pondexter used the revenge factor to push himself, as he scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds five days prior against former-UW player Phil Nelson and his Portland State team. Nelson was also a part of the recruiting class that included Pondexter, Oliver and Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes. Pondexter said things are a little more cordial with Nelson than they are with Oliver. Pondexter said he didn't speak to Oliver from the time he left in 2007 until about two months ago when he answered a phone call from a number he didn't recognize. It was Oliver, seeking verification of a rumor that Pondexter had gotten married. He hadn't, though he said the two talked for a while and sorted out some differences. But Pondexter's icy postgame interview session did nothing to suggest that he and Oliver are back on good terms. "I felt stranded, you know? Not only did [Oliver] leave me as a teammate, he left me as a friend. He left me with the rent," Pondexter said, drawing laughs from reporters. "He left everything. That was the last person that I was close to, and it was really tough my sophomore year because people bond to people that are in their recruiting class. You come in together; you guys are friends. That's how it was, and our team wasn't as close. And I was kind of alone a lot of times." On this night, it was Oliver who was the odd man out. Reach Sports Editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

Stay up to Date

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters covering the news, arts, and sports.

Pondexter leads UW past Oliver, Spartans

Disruptor interrupts Psych 210, professor and students chase man on to Red Square

2025 Seattle and King County primary election endorsements

UW mechanical engineering students are now required to pay $250 quarterly fee to participate in department-affiliated RSOs

College Inn Pub reopens under new ownership