Koren Johnson pulls back curtain on career night against Stanford

It was Koren Johnson’s night. On Thursday, the sophomore guard tallied a career-high 30 points in Washington’s 85-65 win over Stanford while shooting 12-18 from the field and 6-10 from beyond the arc. After the game, Johnson pulled back the curtain on his jaw-dropping performance.

“The last few days, me and coach [Josh Mandell] we’ve been getting up 50 shots each spot,” Johnson said. “He told me to just let my shot go and see how it falls. He told me I was going to have a big day today and I did.”

Johnson’s assessment doesn’t do his performance justice. He also added four assists and three steals in the outing. For reference, Johnson had scored a combined 29 points in his previous six games ahead of his breakout performance.

Johnson previously scored his career when he rattled off 25 points against Bellarmine in Washington’s season opener. Johnson’s extra shooting obviously paid dividends. He is shooting 27.9% from downtown this season.

It’s win or go home time for Washington

Washington desperately needed Johnson’s explosive showing. Prior to Thursday evening, the Huskies had lost three of their last four games. Johnson believes the team’s blowout win over Stanford can be a turning point for the team.

“We’re looking at it as win or go home,” Johnson said. “We got to win the next couple games that we got to have our seed go up. So, we’re just taking it game by game and trying to get wins.”

In ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, Washington was not included. The team still has major work to do earn a spot in the Big Dance. The Huskies are currently 6-8 in conference play and ranked 10th in the Pac-12.

Further, ahead of Thursday night, Washington was ranked last in the Pac-12 in points allowed (78.6), 11th in opponent three-point percentage (38.2%) and 10th in opponent field-goal percentage (46.6%). Washington head coach Mike Hopkins believes defense will be the key to his team making a run in March.

“We went from averaging 70 points a game last year to 81 or 82, so we can score now,” Hopkins said earlier this week. “So now it goes back to our defense, and it has to keep improving. That’s a big part as we move forward to get over the hump and go on a run and be the team that we think we have.”

Washington won’t have long to enjoy its victory. On Saturday, Koren Johnson and Co. will square off against California at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.