Huskies Pass the Test, Down UCLA

The Huskies completed a sweep of UCLA last night to remain tied for 1^st place in the Pac-12.

With LA Clippers guard and Rainier Beach High School alumnus Jamal Crawford in attendance, the UW Huskies completed a sweep of UCLA by edging the Bruins 86-84. Six Huskies scored in double figures for the Dawgs, a refreshing change-of-pace for the young crew that gets almost 80% of their scoring from Andrew Andrews and Dejounte Murray.

Andrews, who came into the game leading the conference in scoring, shared the wealth, scoring 12 points, none more important than the two free throws he sank with three seconds remaining. The Huskies built a 51-33 lead at halftime, only to have it erased by the Bruins, who were led by a gritty effort by Bryce Alford. Alford scored a game-high 28 points—17 of them in the game’s final five and half minutes. He tied the game with five seconds to go with a clutch jumper.

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Then the Bruins made a mistake. Senior forward Tony Parker fouled Andrews who promptly sank UCLA with two free throws. The Bruins’ Isaac Hamilton missed his final heave, and Huskies held on. Parker scored 16 points and collected nine rebounds, but shot just 1 of 6 from the line and couldn’t get going in the first half.

The even distribution of points is encouraging to Lorenzo Romar and the Huskies, who had been too reliant on their leading scorer and Murray, a freshman guard. Last night Noah Dickerson led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points and Marquese Chriss added 12 to Andrews’ dozen. There’s reason for optimism with UW tied atop the Pac-12 standings with 23^rd ranked Oregon, which notched an impressive win over no. 18 Arizona last night, but there are also warning signs.

The Huskies once again let up in the second half, allowing the Bruins, who shot a miserable 33 percent from the field in the first half, to get back in the game. Every team makes a run during a game, but UW has to beat back rallies in the second half if they’re going to go far in the tournament.

Next: Russell Wilson vs. Cam Newton: A Budding Rivalry

The Huskies face USC at Galen Arena in LA tomorrow.