Recap and highlights: Washington upsets No. 7 Gonzaga 78-73 for first win over GU since 2005
SEATTLE – Gonzaga appeared poised to stretch its winning streak against Washington to eight Saturday night in front of a boisterous, packed house at Alaska Airlines Arena.
The seventh-ranked Zags had the upper hand for roughly three-fourths of the game, but the Zags couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
The Huskies clawed back from an 11-point second-half deficit to dig out a 78-73 victory that had fans from both teams standing in the closing minutes.
Washington’s victory ended Gonzaga’s streak of 16 straight wins over Pac-12 competition.
Washington (6-3) pulled even three times before taking the lead 72-70 with 3:41 remaining on Sahvir Wheeler’s driving layup – UW’s first lead since 3-2 in the opening stages.
Gonzaga registered plenty of defensive stops in the final 7 minutes, but its offense went ice cold, bogged down with turnovers and errant shots.
Graham Ike’s three-point play with 1:00 ended a 6-minute, 22-second dry spell and cut Washington’s lead to 74-73. Keion Brooks’ Jr. hit four free throws in the final 42 seconds, sandwiched around another costly GU turnover.
The Zags made just 1 of their last 12 shots after Ike’s soft-touch bucket gave Gonzaga 68-66 lead. Gonzaga’s only points between Ike field goals were Anton Watson’s two free throws with 7:22 left.
Ike led Gonzaga with 18 points but he was limited to 24 minutes due to foul trouble. Seattle native Nolan Hickman scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. Watson finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Brooks led UW with 17 points and eight rebounds. Wheeler added 16 and center Franck Kepnang had one the best games of his career with 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
Gonzaga led 48-42 after an entertaining, offensive-minded first half. GU led for nearly the entire half and pushed toward a double-digit margin on several occasions only to see the Huskies battle back.
The bulk of Gonzaga’s lead was the result of an 11-2 edge on points off turnovers. While both teams shot over 55% from the field, UW was guilty of nine turnovers to GU’s three.
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First half
19:45 – GU 2, UW 0: Zags win the tip and Nembhard opens the scoring with a layup. Game coverage will start on ESPNEWS until the conclusion of the NBA In-Season Tournament championship game.
15:19 – GU 11, UW 9: Zags open up a 11-5 lead, but the Huskies answer with back-to-back baskets.
GU opens 5 of 8 from the field, but have a couple of early turnovers. UW is 4 of 8 (1 of 3 on 3-pointers).
11:11 – GU 21, UW 18: Hickman starts strong in his home town with back-to-back 3s and leads along with Ike at eight points apiece, but the Huskies keep pace at the U12 media timeout.
Mulcahy has eight points for UW with two 3-pointers.
GU 9 of 16 from the field (56%), while UW is 8 of 14 (57%).
7:44 – GU 32, UW 27: Kepnang dunks through contact and picks up a foul at the U8 media timeout. Huskies hanging close with good shooting from both sides.
Kepnang has eight points. Hickman leads GU with 11.
3:35 – GU 39, UW 37: Huff called for an offensive foul, his third of the half, at the U4 media timeout. Huskies will have the ball and a chance to tie for the first time since the 18-minute mark.
1:58 – GU 46, UW 37: Greg provides a spark off the bench with seven quick points and the Zags turn things around right before half. UW takes a timeout on a 2-minute scoring drought.
Halftime
Wheeler hits a step-back at the buzzer to send the Huskies into the locker room with some momentum after the Zags surge to end the half.
Both teams making shots at a high level in the first half, with GU 19 of 34 (56%) and UW 16 of 29 (55%).
Seattle native Hickman leads GU with 15 points, while Nembhard and Ike add 10 apiece. Kepnang has 12 points for the Huskies.
Second half
15:38 – GU 55, UW 46: Sloppy start to the second half and the Zags build their lead to nine at the U16 media timeout. UW is 1 of 9 from the floor and has three turnovers in the half.
12:07 – GU 61, UW 57: Wood hits a 3 to give the Huskies a 6-0 run and the Zags call for a timeout. Huskies have three 3-pointers this half, matching their total from the first half and making up for five turnovers in the period.
8:56 – GU 66, UW 66: Huskies get back-to-back transition baskets to tie the score and GU calls a timeout. Kepnang had a block on Ike that was close to goaltending to spark the run.
UW led by as many as 11 in the half, but UW ties it for the first time since early in the first half.
7:58 – GU 68, UW 66: Ike takes the lead for GU, but it might not last, as Hickman fouls Wheeler on a 3-point attempt at the U8 media timeout.
Huskies have a chance to take the lead for the first time since the score was 3-2.
5:40 – GU 70, UW 68: Wheeler tosses the ball out of bounds for the Huskies’ 16th turnover of the game and UW calls a timeout. Zags took the lead back on two free throws from Watson.
2:46 – UW 72, GU 70: Wheeler makes a circus layup to give the Huskies the lead. GU misses on the other end, running up a 4:26 scoring drought, and UW turns it over at the U4 media timeout.
Zags needing someone to come up with a shot down the stretch, as the Huskies lean on Wheeler and Kepnang, who is up to five blocks.
1:05 – UW 74, GU 70: Johnson hits two free throws and GU calls a timeout. Zags haven’t scored in 6:04.
0:41 – UW 76, GU 73: Ike snaps the Zags scoring drought, but Stromer is called for a costly foul on the other end. UW calls a timeout.
0:00 – UW 78, GU 73: Huskies hold on for their first win over GU since 2005. Zags go ice cold down the stretch for a loss in their first true road game of the year.
Pregame
Tonight marks the last time Gonzaga will take on a Pac-12 opponent. Well, during the regular season, at least.
The No. 7 Bulldogs (7-1) are riding a five-game winning streak into a road matchup with Washington (5-3) at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Zags already collected wins over two Pac-12 teams – UCLA and USC – during their win streak. GU also has a 16-game win streak over Pac-12 teams and a seven-game streak against the Huskies.
Will those streaks hold up? Or will Washington finally break through after two narrow losses to top 25 teams San Diego State and Colorado State?
Series history
Gonzaga holds a 15-8 all-time record against Washington, but the Zags have dominated the series of late, winning all seven meetings since 2006.
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