No. 11 Washington outscored Oregon 16-9 in overtime to pull out a 95-88 win Thursday at McArthur Court.
The Ducks (11-9 overall, 3-8 Pacific-10 Conference) had a chance to ice the game late in the second half but failed to capitalize. Oregon led 79-76 with less than a minute remaining when guard Jordan Kent went to the foul line with a chance to give the Ducks a two-possession advantage. Kent missed both free throws, giving Washington (20-3, 10-2) hope.
On their ensuing possession, Husky guard Will Conroy drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to tie the game at 79 with 26.
seconds remaining.
Each team had one possession to end regulation before Washington simply overwhelmed Oregon in overtime.
“Will Conroy stepped up,” Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar said. “You would hope a senior would on the road — making big play after big play down the stretch.”
Earlier in the week, Duck head coach Ernie Kent said the key to dealing with Washington’s pressure defense was how much contact the officials were going to let the Huskies get
away with.
Kent’s prediction was dead on as Thursday’s officials let Washington get away with next to nothing. The Ducks shot a school-record 54 free throws — breaking the record of 51 attempts — as the Huskies were whistled for 36 fouls.
The slower pace and repeated trips to the charity stripe allowed Oregon to stay neck-and-neck with Washington the entire game.
The Ducks could view this game as a disappointment, as they connected on only 33 of 54 (61 percent) free-throw attempts, including 2 of 7 by Malik Hairston and 3 of 8 by Adam Zahn.
“It’s very disappointing,” Jordan Kent said. “We felt like there was no one to blame but us. We missed 21 free throws on the game, and there’s absolutely no excuse for that.”
Oregon entered the game shooting 67 percent from the foul line.
Kent’s late misses overshadowed an otherwise solid game from the Eugene native. The sophomore finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
The Ducks had four other players finish in double-figures: Aaron Brooks (15), Chamberlain Oguchi (13), Maarty Leunen (12) and
Bryce Taylor (10).
Nate Robinson led Washington with 24 points, while Brandon Roy (18), Conroy (17), Bobby Jones (16) and Joel Smith (10) also reached double figures.
“I hope this team continues to show this community what character is all about,” Kent said. “To go through what they’ve been through and battle back (is impressive).”
