Washington

Aday Mara romps out west as Michigan basketball rolls in Washington

Published

2 months ago

January 15, 2026

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Aday Mara romps out west as Michigan basketball rolls in Washington

SEATTLE — Michigan basketball went to the Emerald City and struck gold … or maize.

On a night when Washington honored its national-champion men’s soccer team, brought back former star (and former Detroit Piston) Isaiah Thomas and introduced their incoming class of football recruits to the first sellout crowd in two seasons, the Huskies simply couldn’t hang with the Wolverines on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

No. 3 Michigan battled on the boards, locked down on defense and got enough done on offense despite another lackluster shooting night to get back to its winning ways, beating Washington 82-72 in the first of two games on a Pacific Northwest swing.

Morez Johnson Jr., nicknamed “Junkyard Dog” by his teammates, showed his bite against the team with “Dawgs” across its chest, scoring 16 points and adding a career-high 16 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

“As a coaching staff, we communicate throughout the game and there were anywhere between three and 300 instances where we said to each other ‘Rez is an absolute dog, Rez is an absolute beast’,” coach Dusty May said postgame. “We were very repetitive because he made so many plays that made us appreciate him.”

He set the tone on the glass – a battle U-M won, 42-40, as part of its 50-28 scoring advantage in the paint. Meanwhile, U-M played a largely clean game, forcing 12 turnovers and only committing eight as it outscored U-Dub, 11-2, in points off turnovers.

Johnson was aided by his fellow bigs: Aday Mara scored a team-high 20 and Yaxel Lendeborg added 14 after a slow start.

The Wolverines will stay in the Pacific time zone for their next game, heading to Eugene, Oregon, to take on the Ducks in a nationally televised game Saturday (4 p.m. ET, NBC). The Ducks, a second-round NCAA Tournament team last season, have already nearly matched their 2024-25 losses (10) this season, at 8-9 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten play. Still, three of those five conference losses have come on the road, rather than at Matthew Knight Arena. Center Nathan Bittle leads Oregon with 16.3 points per game, plus 6.7 rebounds and two assists.

Getting to the finish line

The Huskies fought back after a cold start – just seven makes in their first 26 shots – with 10 makes in their next 17 to get within five, 46-41, on a Hannes Steinbach putback.

But Michigan got hot. Lendeborg drilled a corner 3, Mara hit three straight baskets – a floater, a layup and a dunk –Lendeborg hit another hook in the lane and then Mara finished another slam on the baseline, for six straight makes.

Even so, the Huskies stuck with the Wolverines thanks to baskets on four straight possesssions. Johnson got an offensive rebound and putback off a Trey McKenney missed layup, but McKenney was then assessed with a technical foul for tripping a U-W player stepping over him.

The Wolverines struggled to extend their lead until Mara swatted a hook shot near the rim and Roddy Gayle Jr. had a runout the other way for a coast-to-coast layup to go up 11 with 5:16 to go. He then found Lendeborg on the break on the following possession for an acrobatic layup, making it 76-63.

The Wolverines weren’t perfect on offense – 17-for-23 on dunks or layups 15-for-46 on all other shots – but they did enough of the little things for coach Dusty May.

Marvelous Morez Johnson Jr.

Johnson led the way in that grinding mentality.

He dominated early on the boards with 10 in the first 15 minutes, including three on offense. The Wolverines didn’t shoot well on 3s – 5-for-23 (21.7%) – so extending possessions mattered.

“Elite,” Mara said of how he’d describe Johnson in a single word. “His ability to help us in rebounding is something I’ve never seen before. I think that was better than me scoring 20. For today’s game, one of the keys was rebounding and I think he did great.

“It’s way easier when you have a player like this on your team.”

Johnson’s greatest highlight came off a missed Gayle jumper, as he came flying in through the paint and threw down a tip-slam between two defenders to put Michigan up, 28-18.

Johnson responded to May’s recent team-wide critiques of the energy level with perhaps the Wolverines’ most energetic performance this season. He wasn’t quite as dominant after halftime, but still added eight points and four rebounds.

Coming in waves

The Wolverines started slow; they didn’t score until 2:33 in, falling behind by three. That was followed by a 12-0 run in 4:14, with all of the points coming either in the paint or from the free throw line.

Michigan, which has struggled beyond the arc for a few weeks, missed its first 10 3-pointers, but a spurt from the reserves got the group going. It was 14-9 when McKenney buried the team’s first 3. Will Tschetter followed with one of his own less than a minute later, then added a follow under the bucket, as U-M’s reserves scored eight straight.

Later, it was Lendeborg’s turn. He missed his first five attempts, then finally drilled a 3 from the left wing to get going. On the next possession he received a full-court pass from L.J. Cason and finished in the paint, then grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and had a putback in traffic. That gave him seven straight points and extended U-M’s lead to 37-26.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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Washington

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Published

5 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Washington

Washington sues USDA, alleging billions in funds illegally withheld

Published

17 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Washington sues USDA, alleging billions in funds illegally withheld

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging the federal agency is illegally withholding billions of dollars in funding and attempting to force states into compliance with unlawful demands.

The complaint, filed as part of a multistate effort, argues the USDA has threatened to cut off critical funding tied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, unless states agree to federal conditions that exceed the agency’s authority, according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.

Other critical programs that would be affected include the school lunch program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program.

Brown’s office said the funding at stake supports the administration of SNAP, a federally funded, state-run program that provides food assistance to millions of low-income Americans. Washington alone receives about $129.5 million annually to administer the program, and disruptions could have “catastrophic” consequences for residents who rely on it, according to the attorney general’s office.

In the lawsuit, the state alleges the USDA is effectively holding those funds “hostage” to compel states to comply with federal directives, including demands tied to program data and administration, according to the complaint and accompanying news release from Brown’s office.

The legal challenge contends the USDA’s actions violate federal law, including constitutional limits and statutory authority governing the SNAP program. The coalition of states argues the federal government cannot condition funding on requirements that were not authorized by Congress, according to the complaint.

Brown said the lawsuit is aimed at protecting both funding and the people who depend on it.

“The rule of law is on our side,” Brown said in a statement, adding that the state is seeking to ensure continued support for vulnerable residents and prevent federal overreach.

According to the attorney general’s office, SNAP serves as a key safety net nationwide, delivering billions of dollars in food assistance. States administer the program but rely on federal funding to operate it.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the USDA’s actions unlawful and block the agency from withholding funds or imposing conditions the states argue are illegal.

The case is the latest in a series of legal challenges involving SNAP, as states push back on what they describe as unprecedented federal demands tied to the program’s operation and funding, according to the Washington attorney general’s office.

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Washington

Washington Nationals acquire infielder Jorbit Vivas

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Washington Nationals acquire infielder Jorbit Vivas

The Washington Nationals acquired infielder Jorbit Vivas from the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Sean Paul Liñan on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.
Vivas, 25, hit .270 with 21 doubles, a triple, four home runs, 43 RBI, 64 walks, 12 stolen

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