This one was tough to watch.

The Huskies (1-2, 6-6) were unable to hit a rock in the desert sand, losing 89-57 to Arizona State (2-1, 10-4) in front of a regional-televised audience on Fox Sports Northwest.

The Huskies got Sun-burned off the glass. Arizona State grabbed 47 rebounds versus Washington's 28, making for easy Sun Devil transition points and turning the game into a lay-up clinic. But rebounds were not the only black mark for the visiting team.

The Huskies shot like they had sand in their shorts, managing only 34 percent versus Arizona State's 56.

Arizona State grabbed the lead quickly 7-2 after an Ike Diogu putback off a Curtis Millage miss, but the Huskies battled with the Sun Devils for the first several minutes. The Huskies knotted the score 13-13 behind two crafty Bobby Jones lay-ins and Cutis Allen's three-pointer on the baseline with 14:20 to go.

The Huskies' defense suffered a breakdown midway through the first period, with the Sun Devils going on a 7-0 run capped by an off-balance three from Shawn Redhage. Down 29-18, the Huskies fought back until Will Conroy swished two free throws with 3:15 left to cut the Sun Devil lead to 10.

When the second half came around, the Huskies started off with intensity. A Bobby Jones reverse lay-up pulled them within eight 53-45 with 12:10 to go in the contest, but then everything came to a crashing halt for the Huskies because they forgot to crash the boards.

The Huskies only managed four more points in the game, looking nothing like the heart-filled team that came back against Southern Cal five days ago.

For the Sun Devils, Tommy Smith went off. He was the paddle for the Arizona State beating, spanking every Husky that stood in his way. His line was man-sized on his career night with 13 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks. With five minutes left and the lead in hand, Smith dropped a cross-over move on a staggering Anthony Washington, racing past him for the vicious one-hand slam. At 6-foot-10, the move looked more suited for a guard.

"He's athletic for being that tall, I'll have to give him credit," said Jones. "But we should never give up like that. We have to go back to the chalkboard."

The Huskies will have to chalk this loss up quickly, as Saturday's game is against the Arizona Wildcats -- the second-best team in the nation.

Will Conroy lead the Huskies in scoring with 13 points, while Doug Wrenn and Bobby Jones both had 10 in the loss.