UW Women’s Basketball Upsets #6 Michigan Behind Career Night From Avery Howell

CSS HuskiesWashington Husky Women's basketball
Written By Charles Hamaker

By Rowan Schaberg, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - The Washington Husky women’s basketball team ushered in the new year with a 64-52 upset over a Michigan Wolverines team ranked sixth in the nation on Thursday, keeping its undefeated home court record alive. This marked the Huskies’ first top-10 win since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2024 and their first ranked win of the season.

After spending two weeks out of the AP Top 25 following six consecutive weeks ranked earlier this season, the win earned them a No. 23 ranking this week. Washington joins eight other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25 this week. 

The Huskies’ path to victory over the Wolverines showcased the versatility of head coach Tina Langley’s carefully constructed roster. Early foul trouble for team scoring and assist leader Sayvia Sellers gave the Huskies a chance to showcase their depth beyond their star guard–and they certainly rose to the challenge. 

Avery Howell came out with a bang–leading UW to an 8-0 run to begin the game – and held her consistency throughout the match. With Sellers on the bench for a majority of the first half, Howell took over the production load with ease. She posted her second-straight twenty-point game–the only two of her career–and added a career-high 16 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes on the floor. Her effort on Thursday earned her the honor of USBWA Player of the Week and a spot on the Big Ten Honor Roll. 

Washington Husky sophomore guard Avery Howell during the team's upset victory over the Michigan Wolverines on January 1st, 2026, at Alaska Airlines Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)

Howell continues to prove herself as one of the most impactful transfers in the country. After spending her freshman season as a spot-up three-point shooter off the bench at USC, the evolution of her game since arriving in Seattle has been striking. 

It was anticipated that Howell would serve the same purpose on Langley’s roster–and that seemed to be how she was being utilized at the beginning of the season. But Howell has unexpectedly become the difference-maker for the Huskies by completely revamping her style of offense to perfectly fill in their gaps.

In just 14 games in her first season as a Husky, Howell has already attempted three more two-point field goals (50) than she did in her 35 career games as a Trojan (47). She’s quickly turning into a double-double machine as opposed to the sole three-point shooter most believed her to be. 

By halftime against the Wolverines, Howell had already recorded the third double-double of her career, all three of which have been within the past month. When comparing her freshman and sophomore season shot charts, you would think you were looking at two different players. Howell’s game has morphed into strong, confident drives to the basket and crashing for tough boards, with some flashy step-back jumpers sprinkled in that have moved her into the second-highest scoring spot for the Huskies.

Despite being the seventh-tallest player on UW’s roster, Howell leads Washington in rebounds by a margin of 42 over the next-highest rebounder, freshman Brynn McGaughy. Her 111 total rebounds this season already surpass her total number of boards last season. She is in the 99th percentile in women’s college basketball for defensive rebounds, coupled with a 98th percentile in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage. 

“It’s all about effort for me,” Howell said postgame on the broadcast of her rebounding efforts. “I pride myself on getting those rebounds.”

“[Howell was] tremendous,” Langley said after the win. “She’s so good on both ends of the floor from a toughness standpoint, execution IQ, and obviously she did an incredible job tonight understanding how we needed to play and helping the people around her and communicating at a high level.”

Outside of the stellar individual performance by Howell, the Michigan victory was truly a team win. The Huskies arguably looked the most connected on offense that they have thus far this season, with stunning cuts to the basket followed by perfectly executed passes, outstanding ball movement, and great focus and execution on defense against a Michigan team that averages almost double the amount of points per game that Washington held them to on Thursday. 

“The team just came out really focused,” Langley said. “Whether it was on the defensive end, how we were going to guard, where they were switching, the way they communicated, and then the offensive execution, too. I think we just came out with an understanding of the game plan and how to execute that, and it was just very unselfish basketball the way we shared the basketball. It was a really great team start.”

Group and huddle photos of the Washington Huskies before, during, and after their upset victory over the Michigan Wolverines on January 1st, 2026, at Alaska Airlines Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)

The first three quarters for the Huskies were practically flawless. They entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable 18-point lead over their top-10 opponent, but for a moment, it seemed their bad habit of end-of-game execution had not fully died.

Last season, the Huskies came within twelve points of every ranked opponent they played–most notably losing by only one point to then-No.7 LSU and five points to USC, which was ranked No.5 at the time. Washington would often find themselves in a one-possession game in the final seconds against ranked teams after playing evenly for the first three quarters, losing steam to hold on to the lead by the end.

In the fourth quarter against the Wolverines, the dreaded offensive lull resurfaced. The Huskies didn’t score the entire first half of the quarter, allowing a confidence-boosting 6-0 run for Michigan. 

While she hadn’t been the star in the first three quarters, Sellers always finds a way to shine. Despite two missed shots to start the fourth, the junior guard kept shooting and got the Huskies going with a three-pointer around the five minute mark. Sellers didn’t need the first three quarters as a warm-up; she contributed nine of Washington’s 11 fourth-quarter points to secure the upset win. 

Washington Husky junior guard Sayvia Sellers during the team's upset victory over the Michigan Wolverines on January 1st, 2026, at Alaska Airlines Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)

Sellers’ fourth-quarter performance serves as an example of the adjustments Langley made over the off-season to better approach end-of-game situations against experienced teams. After giving the Huskies a 10-point cushion over Michigan with two minutes left, Sellers committed three straight turnovers while trying to break the Wolverines’ press, cutting the lead to five with a minute to play. On the fourth inbounds play, Sellers shifted her positioning on the court, opening a passing lane for Elle Ladine to find Howell for a fast-break layup. On the final inbounds play, Sellers again adjusted - this time moving into the frontcourt to receive a long pass from Ladine rather than staying in the backcourt, where she had struggled earlier. Fouled twice in those final moments, Sellers knocked down four-straight free throws – an area in which Washington has much room for improvement–to go 6-6 from the charity stripe on the night. 

While it may seem small, these few minutes showcased Langley’s growing ability to make end-of-game adjustments, while also speaking to Sellers’ gritty, unselfish mindset when she’s on the court. She is the rock of this roster - taking over when her team needs it, providing reliable free-throw shooting and leadership that elevates her teammates. 

Characteristically, Sellers managed to end the game as the second-highest leading scorer with 11 points despite the limited minutes due to the foul trouble - coming in at the end to put a bow on the upset. As the Huskies’ schedule begins to increase in difficulty as they enter conference play, the issue of Sellers’ foul trouble seems to be resurfacing. Sellers averaged 1.6 personal fouls over the first eight games of the season. In the six games since their conference opener against USC, that average has risen to 3.5 average personal fouls per game. This trend follows the same pattern from last season, in which Sellers fouled out in six contests and committed three or more fouls in ⅔ of the games she played last season. 

While this win against Michigan showcased Washington’s other weapons outside of Sellers, her foul trouble is increasingly concerning to their offensive production. 

Entering Thursday’s game, Michigan led the Big Ten and was ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense. The Wolverines’ 18 points at halftime marked their lowest total of the season. Washington held Michigan to 17.6% shooting in the second quarter, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range in the first half. While not necessarily known for their defense last season, the Huskies are beginning to solidify it as part of their identity.

Washington held Michigan phenom Olivia Olson to 12 points, five below her season average and her second-lowest scoring performance of the season, while also limiting her to a season-low field-goal percentage. Olson’s fellow sophomore star, Syla Swords, recorded her second-lowest two-point shooting percentage of the season against the Huskies’ defense. 

“It’s something we worked on this whole offseason, our defense,” Sellers said. “We want to be a great defensive team. The whole game, we were able to get stops on them, so it was obviously a confidence booster, but the communication we had today on the floor was really what made our confidence go through the roof. I heard everybody talking, and you just knew everyone had your back out there tonight, so it was really fun being on defense today.”

Washington big Yulia Grabovskaia pulled down a season-high nine rebounds against her former team, adding two blocks to her column in the box score. Her paint counterpart, McGaughy, had a quiet game on paper, but was a key piece of the Huskies’ impressive defense. 

“Big defensive moments from [Grabovskaia and McGaughy], some great poise on offense,” Langley said of her post pair. “We were running some things that had the ball in their hands several times, where they had to be patient with a lot of denying and making the next read and next read. Just showed a lot of poise.”

This upset marks Langley’s second-highest-ranked upset in her five-season tenure in Seattle. With the program’s highest-ranked recruit in history in McGaughy and high-impact transfer Howell being added to an already star-studded lineup with Sellers and Ladine, a big win like this was long overdue. 

“I’m just so grateful and proud of their mindset,” Langley reflected about her team. “The way they’ve come after every game, win or loss, has been very eager and hungry. Hungry to learn, very selfless. They come into practice ready to help each other, ready to learn; it’s just who they are. It’s really just beautiful for us to get to watch, really. It’s a gift to be around this group of women because they have such a good heart for one another, a desire to be great, pursue excellence.”

The Huskies face another big challenge at home tomorrow in No. 15 Michigan State, which jumped a poll-high nine spots this week after wins against Indiana and on-the-rise Illinois. The Spartans have now replaced Michigan as the highest scoring offense in the conference, so Washington matching the defensive execution from Thursday’s match will be crucial to their success.

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Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️

Follow our accounts dedicated strictly to University of Washington athletics! Instagram: @CSS_UWHuskies Twitter: @CSS_College

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Follow our accounts dedicated strictly to University of Washington athletics! Instagram: @CSS_UWHuskies Twitter: @CSS_College 〰️

Charles Hamaker
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