DaVonte Lacy scored 25 points, 20 in the second half, and drained six free throws in the final minute as Washington State held on to upset Washington 80-77 Saturday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Cougars have won two of their first three Pac-12 games, all on the road, while the Huskies are staggering.
Washington opened the season with 11 consecutive victories and soared to a No. 13 national ranking, but have since lost four in a row, including all three Pac-12 contests. The Huskies had numerous chances to put away the Cougars after leading by seven points in the first half, but couldn’t seal the deal.
WSU (8-7, 2-1) also could have run away with it. After Lacy hit a jumper for a 67-61 Cougar lead with 6:42 to play, Washington battled back and took a 68-67 lead at 4:30 left when Andrew Andrews scored on a layup and added a free throw, completing a 7-0 Washington run.
But after Que Johnson hit a pair of free throws for a 69-68 Washington State advantage, Ike Iroegbu hit two more and the Cougars led 71-68. They never trailed again despite two Nigel Williams-Goss jumpers and a pair of free throws. Lacy’s six free throws, all coming in the last half minute, made certain of that.
Lacy led four Cougars in double figures and added four rebounds. Johnson finished with 15 points and Iroegbu 13 as Washington State connected on 45.9 percent of its shots. WSU made nine of 23 3-pointers.
Williams-Goss scored a career-high 30 points for Washington and added seven rebounds and six assists. But the Huskies had a terrible game from the 3-point line, going 4-for-19 (21.1 percent).
Andrews and Shawn Kemp Jr. added 12 points each and Robert Upshaw had 10 points, six boards and two blocks.
Washington State enjoyed a decided advantage from the free throw line, making 15 of 16 to Washington’s 9 of 10.
Washington’s loss to Washington State was its first at Alaska Airlines Arena since Feb. 27, 2011. The Huskies had taken five of the past six against the Cougars prior to Saturday’s loss.
Washington hosts Oregon State Thursday in Alaska Airlines Arena and plays Oregon Saturday. The Cougars take on Oregon Thursday and the Beavers Saturday with both games in Pullman.
3 Comments
Sweet victory for the Cougs. Coach Kent has breathed life into the basketball program.
Go Cougs
Great win for the Cougs, In Seattle. I think you’re right, Big…Ernie’s got ’em playing with a little fire in the belly. And if I’m Lorenzo Romar, I’ve got to be at least a little concerned that my point guard got twice as many rebounds on his own (8) than Kemp and Jarreau got combined. I am REALLY impressed with Williams-Goss. Not sure he’s a consistent enough shooter to make it worth declaring for the NBA draft this year, but what a talent.
I wouldn’t press the panic button at the UW just yet. This is still a team that beat two ranked opponents in the midst of their annual preseason journey through Cupcake Land and I still think they’re good enough to play in some sort of postseason (CBI or NIT, but not NCAA), but they’ve got to get back to the defense-first mentality they showed earlier this season.
hey Scott Woodward. Are you asleep at the wheel? Do you attend these games? It is long past time for Romar to be replaced. The second largest revenue generating sport at the University of Washington is on its knees. 10+ seasons of Romar is enough to show you that this will never be a championship team as long as he’s coach. you know the definition of insanity and this truly is.