Washington
San Antonio vs. Washington, Final Score: Spurs streak halted, overcome by pesky Wizards, 113-118
San Antonio (10-37) proved unable to continue its recent spate of strong home peformances in a come-from-ahead loss against Washington (9-37). Despite a quiet first half by Jordan Poole, the Wizards were able to shave double-digit deficits on several occasions to keep the Spurs constantly on edge. Washington then maintained its composure down the stretch, in a fourth quarter San Antonio would like to forget, behind its veterans to finally take the lead for good with only minutes to spare. Both benches contributed significantly throughout with Washington netting 44 and San Antonio getting 49 from theirs.
San Antonio’s duo of Victor Wembanyama (22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers) and Devin Vassell (24 points and 5 rebounds) kept their teammates afloat during the several periods of dried-up offense throughout. Cedi Osman (20 points) and Keldon Johnson (14 points and 5 rebounds) supplied sufficient fuel to help maintain a Spurs’ lead for over three periods until the unceremonious last moments.
Gafford (16 points and 13 rebounds), Kyle Kuzma (18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists), and Tyus Jones (15 points and 9 assists) led the stirring comeback for Washington, who won their second straight game. Both benches contributed significantly throughout with Washington netting 47 and San Antonio getting 51 from theirs.
It wasn’t Kuzma and Poole that started the scoring for Washington – it was surprisingly Daniel Gafford. Wembanyama continued his recent run of strong performances with 10 early points. After the rookie sat, San Antonio received some strong bench support from Blake Wesley, Johnson, and Osman, which seemed to energize the home team and crowd immensely. The Spurs surged out to a 35-25 lead.
Washington received a powerful boost from its bench, particularly Marvin Bagley, Jr. and rookie Bilal Coulilaby at the start of the second quarter to make San Antonio uncomfortable. The game became bogged down by numerous squandered possessions and the Wizards were able to nab the lead late in the half. A sloppy half resulted in nearly 20 turnovers between the combatants. While it looked like the Wizards seemed destined to grab the lead, Vassell steadied the Spurs with his offense and helped them stay ahead 58-54 at the half.
In an exciting third period characterized by spurts of scoring, Washington managed to stay a threat to take the lead by drawing numerous foul calls throughout the frame. Bagley, Jr., in particular, slowed the game pace down heavily with several dubious calls going in his favor. It again fell to the Spurs’ high performing trio of Jones (Tre), Wembanyama, and Vassell to keep them afloat after the Wizards drew San Antonio into the foul bonus.
Observations
- The Tyus vs. Tre matchup we needed to determine whether San Antonio has the best brother! (And unfortunately it looked like Tyus shined when it mattered)
- Whomever’s child was responsible for screaming ‘DEFENSE’ (loudly heard on the broadcast) deserves all the snacks (and late sleepy time).
- Vassell’s and Johnson’s post-game quotes were really heartening to hear from Saturday night’s win over the Wolves.
- Coulibaly has a very nice future in the league.
- Victor Ease: An early pass from Vassell looked like it wouid elude its target, but Wembanyama managed to re-direct it with his right hand right into the hoop! Remember when fans and writers were imploring his teammates to toss it up high to him? This is probably what they meant.
- If it seemed like the main go-to play for Washington in the first half was the lob, you are right!
- Sequence of the Game – First Half: Late in the first period, Johnson muscled a floater home. Then Wesley swiped away the inbound pass from an unsuspecting Poole, and Johnson took the loose ball – finding Wesley in the deep corner for an enthralling three.
- Sequence of the Game – Second Half: Late in the third quarter, Wesley again disrupted a Wizards possession with a steal, found Dominick Barlow near the key, who slung it out to a waiting Osman for a key field goal.
- WEMBY Sequence of the Game: Late in the fourth, after Osman missed a corner three, Wembanyama swiped a sure rebound headed for Coulibaly, and found a cutting Osman for a crucial layup
- Devin’s Deeds: The pick-and-roll action between he and Wembanyama yielded some nice scoring early on.
- “Volver, Volver” needs to be the end of third quarter song, doesn’t it?
- Both teams started the game with uneven and disorienting sequences with many front-rimmed Spurs shots. Gafford used his length and motor to slam home buckets and keeping possessions alive. Wembanyama asserted himself from the get-go to get into double-digits. Sloppy play transitioned into something of a track meet and a Sochan dunk in transition put San Antonio up three. Upon his entry, Wesley blitzed several surprised Wizards with a blur of pressure, steals, and buckets. The Spurs left the frame up ten.
- An Osman three pushed San Antonio’s advantage to 14 to start the second. Bagley, Jr. willed home a couple of and-1’s, and a Landry Shamet three briefly brought the Wizards within two. Wembanyama recorded a ‘stock’ (steal / block) on a clumsy Gafford attempt. Vassell impressively scored a bucket at one end and blocked a Jones floater at the other. Poole bricked four of his first five attempts and committed a shot clock violation – oof. Kuzma’s turnaround drew Washington to within four heading into the break.
- Despite Julian Champagnie being the recipient of a Vassell kickout for his first three, the Wizards started fast in the third to tie things at 61. Jones (Tre) converted two straight heady lay-ups and kickstarted a transition opportunity which netted Vassell an and-1. As Sean Elliott compared Gafford to Alonzo Mourning in stature and gait, Wembanyama, resembling a prime Tim Duncan, lured him into a foul on the left block. He then re-directed a missile from Jeremy Sochan over his head to a waiting Jones (Tre) for a layup. The teams traded buckets liberally over the bulk of the next minutes until San Antonio’s bench amped up the pressure to bump the lead to ten momentarily. Doug McDermott’s three helped San Antonio enter the fourth up 93-87.
- After a handful of Spurs’ misses to begin the fourth quarter, Wembanyama tipped home a miss and knocked down a 14-footer. Jones (Tre) was crucial in drawing offensive fouls from Corey Kispert and Bagley Jr. Barlow fouled out with over eight minutes remaining. Sochan smartly looked off two defenders to find Johnson for an open three, but a Kuzma floater drew Washington within three. With a chance to tie the game, Poole fumbled the ball out of bounds, but hit a game-tying three after.
- After an Osman lay-up, Coulibaly nailed a corner three. After a Wembanyama bankshot, Jones (Tyus) swished a pull-up. Kuzma’s layup was matched a Vassell jumper. After yet another Jones (Tyus) field goal, Vassell was whistled for an offensive foul. Gafford snatched a loose ball to throw home a thunderous dunk to finish off the shell-shocked Spurs.
For the Wizards fan’s perspective, please visit Bullets Forever.
Continuing its homestand, San Antonio takes on Paolo Banchero and the resurgent Orlando Magic Wednesday night at 7:00 PM CDT.
On a perfect day in Seattle for football, Washington took the field inside Husky Stadium for its first scrimmage of spring practice, and ahead of his third season at the helm, Jedd Fisch seemed pleased with the results.
“Guys played and competed their ass off,” he said after the Huskies ran 120 plays. “That’s the type of day we want to have…We have a lot to work on, but we’re excited that today gave us this opportunity.”
The 120 plays had a little bit of everything, but the biggest thing the Huskies showed during the day was that, despite the inexperience that Fisch’s coaching staff is looking to lean on at several positions, there’s plenty of talent littering the roster. The best example of that is sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr., who had his best practice in a Husky uniform after Fisch announced on Saturday that senior CJ Christian is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast, and you could see over these three years, he’s really grown into understanding now the system, and what’s asked of him as a safety,” Fisch said. “I think there’s a lot of in him that he wants to be like (safeties coach Taylor) Mays. He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
Mencke was all over the field. Not only did he lay some big hits, just like his safeties coach did during his time at USC, but the former four-star recruit also tallied a pair of pass breakups, an interception in a 7-on-7 period, and multiple strong tackles to hold ball carriers to limited yards.
While the defense did a good job getting pressure throughout the day and making the quarterbacks hold the ball with different looks on the back end, with safety Alex McLaughlin, linebacker Donovan Robinson, and edge rusher Logan George all among the players credited for a sack, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got an opportunity to show off how he’s improved ahead of his junior year.
Early on, he showed off his well-known speed and athleticism, making the correct decision on a read option, pulling the ball and scampering for a 25-yard gain before displaying his touch. Throughout the day, his favorite target was junior receiver Rashid Williams, whom he found on several layered throws of 15-plus yards in the various scrimmage periods of practice.
On a day when every able-bodied member of the team was able to get several reps of live action, here are some of the other noteworthy plays from the day.
Spring practice notebook
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones was unable to participate in the scrimmage and was spotted working off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing their injuries.
- The running backs delivered a pair of big blows on the day. First, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was on the receiving end of a big hit from redshirt freshman Quaid Carr before the former three-star recruit ripped off a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Later on, every player on offense had a lot of fun cheering on freshman Ansu Sanoe after he leveled Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, letting the sophomore linebacker hear all about it when the play was whistled dead.
- Sophomore wide receiver Justice Williams put together a strong day with several contested catches, showing off his strong hands and 6-foot-4 frame, including a 25-yard catch and run off a drag route from backup quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Of all the tackles for a loss the Huskies were able to rack up throughout the day, two stood out. First, junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis burst through the middle of the line to wrap up freshman running back Brian Bonner. Later on, freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean wasn’t even touched as he shot through a gap in the offensive line to track down a play from behind, letting the entire offensive sideline know about the play on his way back to his own bench.
- The Huskies experimented with several defensive line combinations on Saturday, and for the first time this spring, it felt like freshman Derek Colman-Brusa took the majority of his reps alongside someone other than Davis, who he said has taken on an older brother role to help mentor the top-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class.
“Elinneus is a phenomenal guy. Great work ethic. He’s kind of taken on that older brother mentor for me. He’s been a great help just to learn plays and learn the scheme. Can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
- Ball State transfer Darin Conley took a handful of reps with the first team, while rotating with Colman-Brusa, who got a lot of work in alongside Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts.
Twenty Sioux Falls School District art teachers have their own original pieces on display at the Washington Pavilion’s University Gallery now through May 31.
The “Teachers as Artists” exhibit showcases their work not just as educators, but as artists inside and outside of the classroom, and highlights how art education builds critical thinking, creative problem-solving and self-expression skills.
Edison Middle School art teacher Meagan Turbak-Fogarty said she dreamt of such a showcase since her first year teaching.
She and Kathy Dang, an art teacher at Marcella LeBeau Elementary School who also serves on the city’s Visual Arts Committee, partnered with the city and Washington Pavilion to bring the showcase to life.
Turbak-Fogarty has taught at Edison for five years and said her passion for art is “instantly felt” on her classroom walls, but that students have asked where they could see her art in the classroom, or what kind of art she creates in her own time.
“I always felt the feeling that I stand in front of all these kids every single day and preach about how much I love art, and how art has changed my life,” Turbak-Fogarty said. “That got me thinking, ‘I want to show them.’”
Some of her works on display at the Pavilion include art she created in her first year teaching, including a large Cheetos bag she created as an example for her eighth grade classroom when they were working on a large chip bag project. Turbak-Fogarty said she loves painting, working with acrylics and unconventional materials.
“I wanted to show my students that art can be anything,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be hanging up in a museum to be considered art.”
Continuing to do her own art while teaching the subject helps keep her inspired, Turbak-Fogarty explained, adding that it helps her push her own creativity when it comes to projects she works on with students.
Samantha Levisay, an art teacher at John Harris Elementary School, showed three pieces in the show — “Moments in Time,” “Midnight Butterfly Garden” and “Whimsy” — with the same mixed media, watercolor and printmaking skills that she teaches in different units at every elementary grade.
Levisay educates her students that “art is everywhere.” She said her favorite memories as an art teacher are “moments when I show students a lesson, and they take it even further.”
“Kids are so creative; I marvel at them all the time,” she said. “They inspire me every day with their endless creativity and imagination.”
Roosevelt High School art teacher Ruth Hillman showed two pieces in the show: “The Potato on the Wall,” a mixed media work, and a collection of her handmade clay charms in a shadow box.
She also wore some of her art — miniature potato earrings made of clay.
Hillman is in her third year at RHS. When she’s not teaching art, she’s also making art, and sells her charms at shows like the Art Collective.
Washington High School art teacher Mollie Potter displayed a three-part painting series at the show that she said were inspired by her English language learner students’ stories, and how teachers help students “take flight,” as represented by balloons, parachutes and kites in her work.
Porter said she is often inspired by her students’ art in the classroom; for example, one former student was obsessed with swans, and Porter said she later created a painting inspired by one of the student’s stories about swans.
At an April 17 reception, Mayor Paul TenHaken emphasized the arts as an “important economic driver in the community,” and said the show honored educators “who are artists in and of themselves,” but who might not have had a chance to display their art outside the classroom before.
“This is a way for us to honor them and show their incredible work,” TenHaken said.
Full Episode:
Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 4/17/26
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