SEATTLE – “It is what it is.”
That’s what senior guard Garrett Sim said about E.J. Singler’s fifth foul with less than a minute to go and his Ducks trailing 82-79, one that stymied Oregon’s momentum and cost it a chance at beating Washington on its home floor..
“It is what it is.”
That’s what senior forward Olu Ashaolu said about his college career ending in a loss.
“What it is” was a disappointing end to the careers of Oregon’s seniors as the Ducks (24-10) fell 90-86 to the Washington Huskies (24-10) in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament on the road at Alaska Airlines Arena on Tuesday night.
Despite 20 points and nine rebounds from Ashaolu and a 19-point, nine-rebound performance from junior forward E.J. Singler, the Ducks were unable to get consistent outside shooting and let slip a slim halftime lead with a pair of runs in the early second half by the Huskies.
The first run was a 6-0 run that took Washington past Oregon on the scoreboard for the last time, taking a 57-55 deficit and turning it into a 61-57 lead as the Huskies’ Darnell Gant, C.J. Wilcox and Tony Wroten each made shots on consecutive possessions. After the Ducks clawed back to within one, Washington guard Terrence Ross made a three-point field goal and a three-point play on consecutive plays to spur a 12-2 run that ended in a three-pointer for Wilcox, pushing the Huskies’ lead to 75-65.
Ross led Washington with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting, and Wroten had 22 points of his own along with seven rebounds. Huskies point guard Abdul Gaddy also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists while also corralling seven rebounds.
“They’re a talented group. Wilcox, Ross, Wroten driving the ball at the basket there, they’re hard to guard,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said.
The Ducks led the Huskies 46-42 at halftime in a back-and-forth affair that saw neither team lead by more than seven points. Singler had 15 for the Ducks on 3-for-4 three-point shooting and grabbed six rebounds, and Woods was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field, scoring 10 points. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Terrence Ross led the Huskies with 12 points at halftime on 5-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Oregon’s front line scored all but seven of the team’s points in the first half, and drew two fouls against Washington centers Aziz N’Diaye and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, exploiting tight officiating and the Huskies’ perimeter-focused 2-3 zone defense.
But Washington’s defense never let up on Oregon’s shooters, and once the Ducks fell behind, they weren’t able to get enough stops to score.
“I think they switched up on me, they put Gant on me in the second half,” said Singler, who shot just 1 for 5 after the break. “I couldn’t find any open looks.”
The Ducks’ starting backcourt of Sim and fellow senior guard Devoe Joseph combined for just 19 points on 7 for 24 shooting, including going 4 for 15 from behind the arc. As a team, the Ducks shot 7 for 25 from three-point range against the Huskies.
“They didn’t give us any room at all,” Sim said. “They did a good job of trying to take easy looks away from me and Devoe.”
With its best conference finish and most meaningful postseason experience in five years, Oregon’s season was its most successful in recent times, but it came to an end Tuesday night at the hands of Washington.
“I’m disappointed. I thought there was a little bit more there. I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t get us to respond sometime,” Altman said. “But I’m not disappointed in the guys. They were easy to work with. They played for each other. We didn’t have any problems off the floor.”
It was what it was.