Washington one step closer to a Pac-10 title

Published 11:25 pm Thursday, February 26, 2009

It’s always fun with hyped up games live up to the billing, and Washington’s 73-70 overtime win certainly did just that (although those of us with deadlines could have gone without the overtime for an 8 p.m. game).

Washington is now 12-4 in the Pac-10, alone in first place a game and a half ahead of UCLA, ASU and Cal. If the Huskies beat Arizona and WSU, they’ll win their first outright conference title since 1953. Even a split will assure them of a share of the title, something the Huskies haven’t done since 1985.

“It’s so close we can taste it,” said junior forward Quincy Pondexter, who had 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. “But the next two games aren’t going to be easy at all… We just have to come ready and prepared and get ready for Saturday.”

Jon Brockman led the Huskies with 21 points and had 11 rebounds. He also scored the first two baskets of overtime to give the Huskies the lead for good.

Dentmon had a rather mixed performance. He missed his first eight three-point attempts, was shut out in the first half, and still hit a couple of big shots at the end of regulation and also scored six points in overtime.

“He’s a senior and he understands that when things go wrong, he knows he has to turn the page and bounce back,” Lorenzo Romar said. “He did that, he bounced back.”

Dentmon scored 30 in the two teams’ last meeting, while Isaiah Thomas added 25. Tonight they combined for just 27 points on 7 for 27 shooting. Yet still, the Huskies found a way to win despite an off night from their top two scorers.

“Our guys don’t quit.” Romar said. “Arizona State usually wins those games. It’s hard to beat them in close games like that, and we were able to get over the hump and find a way. We’ve had teams in the past where guys would lose interest if they weren’t scoring, this team doesn’t.”