Huskies rally, win in OT
EUGENE, Ore. – Will Conroy saw that Washington was threatened, so he did what seniors are supposed to do. He took over.
Conroy scored 17 points, including a key 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime, and No. 11 Washington rallied to beat Oregon 95-88 on Thursday night.
The Huskies trailed Oregon for much of the first half. Conroy had 15 of his points in the second, including Washington’s final seven points in regulation.
“Will Conroy stepped up as a senior, as you would hope a senior would on the road, and made big play after big play down the stretch,” coach Lorenzo Romar said.
Nate Robinson had 24 points for Washington, which has won four straight since a loss at then-No. 11 Arizona. The Huskies (20-3, 10-2 Pacific-10) also snapped a three-game losing streak at historic McArthur Court.
Jordan Kent had career highs with 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Ducks (11-9, 3-8), who have lost six in a row and appear to be a long shot for the eight-team conference tournament.
Washington’s 9-0 run midway through the extra period was capped by Brandon Roy’s jumper, giving the Huskies a 92-82 lead. Roy finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Conroy’s 3-pointer with 26.5 seconds left in regulation pulled the Huskies even at 79.
His jumper closed the Huskies to 77-74, but Aaron Brooks hit a pair of free throws with just under a minute left and it appeared the Ducks would pull off the upset.
After Conroy hit a bank shot, Kent missed a pair of free throws for Oregon and Conroy added his game-tying 3-pointer.
“I don’t know what it is in me, but when my back is against the wall, I take over,” said Conroy, who added seven assists.
“This is going to eat at me for a couple of days,” Kent said. “I had a chance to win the game and I failed.”
The Ducks missed 21 free throws (33 of 54).
The Huskies swept the season series for the first time since 1997-98.
Oregon jumped out to an early 8-0 lead capped by Maarty Leunen’s jumper, but the Huskies quickly made up the deficit and tied it at 16 on Joel Smith’s 3-pointer.
However, Washington was not able to take the lead and Oregon led 37-33 at the half. The four-point halftime deficit was the largest Washington has faced this year.
Brandon Roy, who has been playing off the bench as he continues to recover from knee surgery earlier this season, started in place of Bobby Jones, who had a sore throat. Jones played off the bench and had 16 points.
Roy was the team’s second-leading scorer last season, but didn’t play against the Ducks in the first meeting this season – a 77-56 Huskies’ victory.
The Ducks were without center Ian Crosswhite, who was suspended indefinitely from the team on Wednesday for violation of team rules.
Former Oregon star Luke Jackson, a first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, was at the game. Jackson is currently recovering from back surgery that cut short his rookie NBA season.
(11) Washington 95, Oregon 88 (OT)
Washington (20-3)–Simmons 1-11 2-2 4, Roy 5-11 8-10 18, Jensen 2-3 0-1 4, Robinson 5-9 11-16 24, Conroy 7-10 1-2 17, Smith 4-7 1-2 10, Rollins 0-0 0-0 0, Burmeister 0-1 0-2 0, Jones 6-6 4-7 16, Williams 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 31-63 27-42 95.
Oregon (11-9)–Hairston 2-10 2-7 6, Kent 4-8 11-16 19, Leunen 5-6 2-5 12, Brooks 3-10 8-8 15, Taylor 5-10 0-2 10, Platt 0-1 0-0 0, Love 0-0 0-0 0, Lincoln 0-2 4-5 4, Oguchi 4-8 3-3 13, Zahn 3-3 3-8 9. Totals 26-58 33-54 88.
Halftime—Oregon 37, Washington 33. Regulation—Washington 79, Oregon 79. 3-point goals—Washington 6-18 (Robinson 3-5, Conroy 2-4, Smith 1-2, Roy 0-1, Burmeister 0-1, Simmons 0-5), Oregon 3-15 (Oguchi 2-6, Brooks 1-4, Hairston 0-2, Taylor 0-3). Fouled out—Simmons, Roy, Jensen, Jones, Brooks, Taylor, Kent. Rebounds—Washington 34 (Roy 10), Oregon 46 (Kent 16). Assists—Washington 15 (Conroy 7), Oregon 12 (Brooks 5). Total fouls—Washington 36, Oregon 31. A—9,087.