Washington spoils Pac-12 title hopes of rival, topping No. 18 Washington State 74-68
AP
Mar 08, 2024
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) Koren Johnson scored 23 points, Keion Brooks Jr. added 22 and Washington Huskies knocked off No. 18 Washington State Cougars 74-68 in the final Pac-12 Conference matchup between the cross-state rivals.
Johnson nailed a corner 3-pointer with 1:21 left that proved to be the final blow, putting the Huskies up 68-61.
“Just happy for our guys and our program and our alumni,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. “And it’s sad that this is the last Apple Cup in the Pac-12. This is a great rivalry. This is something that I’ve learned to love and love to be a part of.”
Washington State (23-8, 14-6) failed to get stops at critical moments and shot 4 of 24 from 3-point range.
The second-place Cougars came in hoping for their first conference title since 1941, but their loss coupled with Arizona's 88-65 victory at UCLA clinched the Pac-12 regular-season crown outright for the Wildcats.
“Disappointed we couldn't come away with the win, but hats off to them. They played well. They made the big plays that got them the win,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said.
Washington spoiled what had been a charmed season at home for the Cougars in the final meeting between the schools as members of the Pac-12. The hoops version of the Apple Cup is likely to continue, but it will be with the Cougars in the West Coast Conference and the Huskies in the Big Ten.
It was Washington's first road win over a ranked opponent since beating Kansas on Dec. 6, 2017.
“These are the types of games you dream of playing in,” Brooks said. “They’re ranked. They’re our rival. Last Pac-12 game. That’s the stuff you dream about growing up. And the atmosphere was amazing.”
Washington (17-14, 9-11) used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take the lead for good, which included a 3 from Brooks and Johnson's jumper to make it 61-53.
The Cougars pulled to 63-60, but couldn't get closer. Washington State struggled badly at the free-throw line, hitting just 8 of 17.
Isaac Jones led Washington State with 20 points but was 2 of 8 from the foul line. Leading scorer Myles Rice was held to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Washington State shot 39% for the game and started 1 of 12 from behind the arc.
“I don’t know if it was bad decision-making or maybe we were a little too anxious on Senior Night, but we took some bad shots to start the game,” Smith said.
BIG PICTURE
Washington: The Huskies avoided for now their fifth straight season with at least 15 losses. This was sweet revenge after dropping an overtime game to the Cougars last month.
Washington State: The Cougars’ fourth straight slow start looked as though it wouldn’t come back to bite them. It was more a poor finish to the first half and lack of execution for the usually clutch Washington State guards that doomed the Cougars, putting a damper on what has been their best season since 2007-08.
UP NEXT
Washington: Plays in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday.
Washington State: Following a first-round bye, plays in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday as the No. 2 seed.
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1st Half
WASH
Huskies
32
WSU
Cougars
30
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Keion Brooks Jr. vs. Rueben Chinyelu (Huskies gains possession)
19:40
Myles Rice misses three point jump shot
19:38
Huskies defensive rebound
19:27
+2
Wilhelm Breidenbach makes two point layup (Koren Johnson assists)
2-0
19:00
Isaac Jones misses two point jump shot
18:58
Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
18:37
Koren Johnson misses three point jump shot
18:35
Jaylen Wells defensive rebound
18:35
Paul Mulcahy personal foul
18:17
+2
Andrej Jakimovski makes two point layup (Myles Rice assists)
2-2
18:06
Wilhelm Breidenbach turnover (lost ball)
17:52
Myles Rice misses three point jump shot
17:50
Rueben Chinyelu offensive rebound
17:49
Wilhelm Breidenbach personal foul (Rueben Chinyelu draws the foul)
17:45
Rueben Chinyelu misses two point layup
17:43
Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
17:39
Paul Mulcahy misses two point layup
17:37
Jaylen Wells defensive rebound
17:29
+2
Jaylen Wells makes two point jump shot
2-4
17:10
Moses Wood misses three point jump shot
17:08
Wilhelm Breidenbach offensive rebound
17:05
+2
Wilhelm Breidenbach makes two point layup
4-4
17:00
Rueben Chinyelu offensive foul (Wilhelm Breidenbach draws the foul)
17:00
Rueben Chinyelu turnover (offensive foul)
16:50
Koren Johnson misses two point layup
16:48
Jaylen Wells defensive rebound
16:40
Jaylen Wells misses three point jump shot
16:38
Huskies defensive rebound
16:21
+2
Keion Brooks Jr. makes two point jump shot
6-4
16:04
Andrej Jakimovski misses three point jump shot
16:02
Paul Mulcahy defensive rebound
15:56
Paul Mulcahy turnover (lost ball)
15:56
TV timeout
15:36
Kymany Houinsou misses two point layup
15:34
Moses Wood defensive rebound
15:19
Isaac Jones blocks Keion Brooks Jr.'s two point layup
15:17
Kymany Houinsou defensive rebound
15:08
Andrej Jakimovski misses three point jump shot
15:06
Moses Wood defensive rebound
15:02
+2
Keion Brooks Jr. makes two point dunk (Sahvir Wheeler assists)
8-4
14:38
Isaac Jones misses two point hook shot
14:36
Wilhelm Breidenbach defensive rebound
14:25
+3
Moses Wood makes three point jump shot (Sahvir Wheeler assists)
11-4
14:06
Kymany Houinsou offensive foul (Moses Wood draws the foul)
14:06
Kymany Houinsou turnover (offensive foul)
13:56
Koren Johnson misses two point jump shot
13:54
Isaiah Watts defensive rebound
13:43
+2
Oscar Cluff makes two point hook shot (Isaiah Watts assists)
11-6
13:30
+2
Sahvir Wheeler makes two point layup
13-6
13:06
+3
Isaiah Watts makes three point jump shot (Oscar Cluff assists)
13-9
12:46
Keion Brooks Jr. misses two point jump shot
12:44
Kymany Houinsou defensive rebound
12:36
Kymany Houinsou turnover (lost ball) (Keion Brooks Jr. steals)
12:28
+2
Keion Brooks Jr. makes two point jump shot
15-9
11:53
Cougars turnover (shot clock violation)
11:53
TV timeout
11:36
Anthony Holland misses three point jump shot
11:34
Isaac Jones defensive rebound
11:07
+2
Isaac Jones makes two point hook shot (Isaiah Watts assists)
15-11
10:33
Sahvir Wheeler misses three point jump shot
10:31
Isaac Jones defensive rebound
10:21
Isaiah Watts misses three point jump shot
10:19
Moses Wood defensive rebound
10:13
Sahvir Wheeler misses two point layup
10:11
Isaiah Watts defensive rebound
10:00
+2
Oscar Cluff makes two point jump shot (Myles Rice assists)