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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huskies left wanting


UCLA's Brian Morrison, left, strips the ball from Washington's Will Conroy during the final minute of game.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Dijon Thompson scored 29 points and UCLA rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to upset No. 12 Washington 95-86 Saturday night, snapping the Huskies’ nine-game winning streak.

Fans chanted “overrated” in the final 9 seconds of UCLA’s first victory over a ranked team since the Bruins beat 18th-ranked California in 2003, Steve Lavin’s final season.

Nate Robinson led the Huskies with 21 points before fouling out with 20 seconds left. Tre Simmons added 19 points.

The Huskies (13-2, 3-1 Pac-10) extended their futility at Pauley Pavilion, where they are 2-40 since the building opened in 1965. They haven’t won there since 1987, a stretch of 19 games. They were trying to sweep in Los Angeles for the first time since 1987, after beating Southern California 84-59 Thursday.

The Bruins (9-3, 3-1) won their third in a row and staged their second dramatic comeback in three days. They needed two overtimes to beat Washington State 80-77 Thursday.

Thompson equaled his career high set Dec. 18 against Michigan. Brian Morrison scored 19 points off the bench, including eight in the final 3:51 when the game was tied.

Neither team led by more than four points over the final 8 minutes. Simmons tied the game for the last time at 85-all. Morrison answered with four straight points for an 89-85 lead.

Freshman Jordan Farmar fouled Robinson with 1:03 to play, but he missed the first free throw. He made the second to pull Washington within three at 89-86.

Farmar missed on the ensuing position, but freshman Lorenzo Mata grabbed the rebound and scored with 27 seconds to go for a 91-86 lead.

Robinson committed his fifth foul against Morrison, who made one of two free throws, then Washington’s Bobby Jones lost the ball through his legs as the final seconds ticked down.

Washington opened the second half with a 13-9 run, including six points by Simmons, to stretch its lead to 65-51.

But the Bruins rallied with a dominating offensive stretch to tie the game at 72-all with 8:40 remaining.

They outscored Washington 21-7, including eight points by Thompson, who tied it with a 3-pointer. The Bruins started the run with 11 straight points, during which Morrison hit a 3-pointer and added a dunk on a fast break.

UCLA 95, Washington 86

Washington (13-2, 3-1)–Jones 1-4 0-0 2, Jensen 6-9 0-0 15, Simmons 7-15 3-3 19, Robinson 7-13 6-8 21, Conroy 4-8 0-2 9, Smith 1-1 0-0 3, Roy 6-10 1-2 13, Rollins 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 34-63 10-15 86.

UCLA (9-3, 3-1)–Thompson 11-17 5-9 29, Shipp 3-9 2-4 10, Fey 2-3 2-3 6, Afflalo 3-9 3-4 10, Farmar 4-11 4-7 13, Morrison 6-8 3-4 19, Mata 2-2 0-0 4, Hollins 2-3 0-0 4, McKinney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-63 19-31 95.

Halftime—Washington 52-42. 3-Point goals—Washington 8-19 (Jensen 3-5, Simmons 2-4, Smith 1-1, Robinson 1-3, Conroy 1-3, Roy 0-1, Jones 0-2), UCLA 10-19 (Morrison 4-5, Thompson 2-3, Shipp 2-5, Afflalo 1-3, Farmar 1-3). Fouled out—Robinson. Rebounds—Washington 33 (Jensen, Simmons 7), UCLA 34 (Thompson 9). Assists—Washington 13 (Conroy 4), UCLA 18 (Farmar 7). Total fouls—Washington 24, UCLA 15. A—11,970.