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

Nate the Great shows up in a big way for Huskies


There was plenty to keep Nate Robinson and Washington happy against Pacific.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Mike Allende Everett Herald

BOISE – It took a while, but the Nate Robinson show finally came to Boise Saturday, and because of it the Washington men’s basketball team can begin planning its trip to Albuquerque.

Robinson, who had been held to 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first game-and-a-half of the NCAA Tournament, scored 20 points in the second half, making 8 of 9 shots, to lead the Huskies to a surprisingly easy 97-79 victory over eighth-seeded Pacific in front of 11,891 fans at Taco Bell Arena.

The win sends Washington (29-5) into its first Sweet 16 since 1998. The Huskies, the top seed in the region, will meet the winner of today’s No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech game Thursday in New Mexico for the right to move to the regional title game.

Pacific’s season ended at 27-4.

“There are guards in the country, I’m talking about the best ones, who do some of the things Nate Robinson does,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “I don’t know if any one of them has a bigger heart or is more competitive than Nate Robinson. Obviously, you see his athleticism, you see the energy he plays with. You can’t teach what’s inside that young man. That allows him to compete against anyone in America. I don’t mean just college, I mean anyone in America. … The bigger the game, you almost see him grow right before your eyes.”

Robinson didn’t deliver any of his thrilling dunks, but the 5-foot-9 junior displayed dazzling dribbling in getting to the rim. His inspired play actually began with 36 seconds left in the first half, when he sank a 3-pointer after two Husky offensive rebounds to give his team a 41-32 lead.

“When we finished (the first) half and we came out, I think our guys smelled Sweet 16,” Romar said. “That was motivation enough, to know that we could advance and be two games away from reaching the Final Four.”

Robinson scored nine points in the first 41/2 minutes of the second half, including another three that gave Washington a 59-42 advantage. The Huskies opened the second half with an 11-2 run that included five points from Tre Simmons and four from Robinson.

“Once I observed the way they play defense, I started to drive,” said Robinson, who also led the Huskies with seven rebounds. “I told Coach ‘I can take these guys anytime.’ He just said take them but make the right decisions.”

The game was an incredibly efficient effort by Washington. The Huskies shot 56.3 percent, outrebounded the taller Tigers 35-31, had just seven turnovers, made 16 of 19 free throws and held Pacific to 44.8 percent shooting. Besides Robinson’s 23 points, Bobby Jones scored 19, Simmons had 15, Brandon Roy scored 14 and Jamaal Williams scored 11.

“We ran into a talented team that played very well,” Pacific coach Bob Thomason said. “When we did make a run, Robinson just took over the game. He showed what kind of player he is. He made some really difficult shots and he makes them look so easy, but they’re not very easy shots.”

Romar said his team “competed as well as we’ve competed all year.”

“Our guys were extremely disciplined and played smart for 40 minutes,” Romar added. “Our pressure was at a level where maybe down the stretch they ran out of gas. That is a very good basketball team, and for us to come out and have that kind of performance speaks to the kind of heart our guys have.”

Washington’s strong play to start the second half wasn’t enough to make Pacific go away. The Huskies took a 73-56 lead on a Williams tip-in only to see the Tigers go on a 6-0 spurt. A 3-pointer by Jasko Korajkic with 8:50 to play cut the UW lead to nine and forced a timeout.

On the ensuing possession, Robinson made a quick move to the top of the key and knocked down a jump shot, sparking an 18-5 run that culminated in an alley-oop dunk from Will Conroy to Mike Jensen that put away the game.