Huskies shake off Ducks
Ross scores career-best 25 in Gaddy’s absence
SEATTLE – In the final minute of the first half of Thursday night’s game, Oregon did something no University of Washington opponent had done at Hec Edmundson Pavilion this season.
The Ducks actually pushed back.
After pulling a rare feat by hanging with the Huskies for more than 19 minutes, Oregon took it one step further when guard Jay-R Strowbridge gave UW’s Isaiah Thomas a two-handed shove underneath the basket.
Point taken.
Playing its first game without injured point guard Abdul Gaddy, the Huskies survived a rare battle at home – not to mention their first second-half deficit at Hec Ed this season – before pulling out another double-digit win, 87-69 over the Ducks.
Freshman Terrence Ross kept the Gaddy-less Huskies in the game, scoring a career-high 25 points as he continues to shine against Pac-10 competition. The 6-foot-6 swingman from Portland buried his home state’s school by hitting 11 of 18 shots, including three 3-pointers.
“I knew everybody on the bench was going to have to step up without Gaddy,” Ross said, “and that’s what I tried to do.”
Despite Ross’s breakout performance, the Huskies (11-3, 3-0 Pac-10) struggled to escape the Ducks for most of the game.
Hec Ed really didn’t get rocking until the final five minutes, when three plays in a matter of seconds put UW up by 16 points and almost blew the roof off the place.
Ross started it with an alley-oop dunk from Isaiah Thomas, one of nine Thomas assists on the night. Thomas made a quick steal and layup a few seconds later, then Ross and teammate Darnell Gant came together to block an Oregon shot at the other end.
At that point, UW led 75-59 and was on its way to yet another double-digit home win – the eighth in as many games at Hec Ed this season. Thomas got the fans up again with a breakaway dunk with 1:30 remaining – the first dunk of his UW career.
(23) UW 87, Oregon 69
Oregon (7-8)—Jacob 4-9 0-0 8, Singler 2-5 2-2 6, Catron 5-14 9-10 20, Sim 5-7 1-1 13, Loyd 1-8 0-0 3, Fearn 0-1 0-0 0, Losli 0-0 0-0 0, Armstead 0-4 0-0 0, Williams 2-4 2-2 7, Nared 2-3 0-0 4, Strowbridge 3-6 0-0 8. Totals 24-61 14-15 69.
Washington (11-3)—Bryan-Amaning 6-12 1-2 13, Holiday 3-6 0-0 7, N’Diaye 1-1 0-0 2, Overton 1-3 0-0 3, Thomas 7-14 4-6 20, Hosley 0-0 0-0 0, Suggs 5-8 0-0 13, Wilcox 0-2 0-0 0, Ross 11-18 0-2 25, Sherrer 0-0 0-0 0, Gant 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 36-70 5-10 87.
Halftime—Washington 39-33. 3-Point Goals—Oregon 7-17 (Strowbridge 2-3, Sim 2-4, Williams 1-2, Catron 1-2, Loyd 1-4, Armstead 0-1, Singler 0-1), Washington 10-26 (Suggs 3-5, Ross 3-7, Thomas 2-4, Overton 1-3, Holiday 1-4, Wilcox 0-1, Gant 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oregon 31 (Catron 10), Washington 40 (Bryan-Amaning 8). Assists—Oregon 14 (Loyd 4), Washington 19 (Thomas 9). Total Fouls—Oregon 15, Washington 12. A—9,692.