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Women’s basketball: Free throws with 0.5 left send WSU down to defeat, 81-79

Associated Press

Tilar Clark made two free throws with 0.5 seconds left and Utah rallied to beat Washington State 81-79 on Sunday in Pullman.

Clark was fouled after her second put-back attempt following a missed jumper by Emily Potter.

The Utes trailed 75-72 when Daneesha Provo, who led Utah with 22 points and nine rebounds, fouled out with 2:27 to go. But after Borislava Hristova scored for WSU, Megan Huff hit a 3-pointer, Potter converted a 3-point play to give the Utes their first lead since the opening seconds of the second quarter, and Erika Bean added a free throw for a 79-77 edge with 33 seconds left. WSU’s Alexys Swedlund tied the game with two free throws with eight seconds remaining.

Huff finished with 14 points and Bean and Potter 11 each for Utah (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12).

Hristova scored 29 points for the Cougars (8-8, 1-3) with Swedlund adding 14.

Utah trimmed a 13-point lead in the third quarter to seven, 67-60, by the end of the period in which Provo scored 12 points. Potter tied the game with a putback with 7:37 remaining before the Cougars went back up by five.

Utah made 22 of 24 free throws, making 17 straight before their first miss. The Utes outrebounded WSU 50-32 and had a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points.

Colorado 66, Washington 61: Alexis Robinson scored 22 points, Janea Bunn added 17 and the Buffaloes secured a comeback victory against the Huskies.

Washington (6-9, 0-4 Pac-12) jumped out to a 20-9 lead after one quarter as Colorado committed six turnovers in the first five minutes.

Colorado came back with a 22-point third quarter, catching up at 34-all when Kennedy Leonard converted a 3-point play after an Annika Jank steal. Bunn scored on a jump shot and later added a free throw as the Buffs led for the first time, 39-38 at 3:41 of the third quarter and never trailed again.

Jank scored four points with nine rebounds, two blocks and three steals. Her block of an Alexis Griggsby jumper with 23.6 seconds left in the game was huge for Colorado (11-4, 2-2). Robinson controlled the rebound, was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws, staking the Buffs to a five-point lead.

Amber Melgoza, who poured in 28 points to lead Washington, drained a 3-point shot and then a jump shot that cut the Colorado lead to 61-59 with 1:30 remaining.

Melgoza had begun an 11-4 rally with 5:20 left to play and the Huskies trailing 57-50. Despite two steals in the last 1:46, the Huskies weren’t able to get over the top. Quinessa Caylao-Do, Leonard and Robinson, who matched her career high in points, converted 5 of 6 free throws in the last 1:01.