National Basketball Association
Washington 96, UCLA 93
When: 11:00 PM ET, Friday, January 1, 2016
Where: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington
Officials:
# Michael Greenstein, # Nate Harris, # Mike Reed
Attendance:
6920
By The Sports Xchange
SEATTLE -- UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford gave his son some tough love at halftime of Friday night's game at Washington, but it still took a while for Bruins junior Bryce Alford to shake out of his funk.
When it finally happened, the younger Alford almost single-handedly save 25th-ranked UCLA from one of its most ugly performances in recent memory.
Alford hit three score-tying 3-pointers at the end of regulation and in the first overtime, keeping Bruins alive, but it wasn't enough on a night when Washington's Andrew Andrews matched his career high of 35 points in the unranked Huskies' 96-93, double-overtime win.
"We just don't stop," Andrews said after Washington rallied from Alford's late heroics to survive. "There are going to be a lot of ups and downs with this team, but we're starting to get to a point where we're solid."
Andrews hit a 3-pointer to give the Huskies (9-4, 1-0 Pac-12) an 88-85 lead with 2:05 left in the second overtime, then he added a steal and fast-break dunk eight seconds later to put Washington ahead by five, 90-85. He added a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining, accounting for the final points in a wild game that saw the Huskies survive the late heroics of Alford.
Alford overcame another rough shooting night to hit two key 3-pointers over the final 22.1 seconds of regulation, and a third in the closing seconds of the first overtime, to keep the Bruins (9-5, 0-1) in the game. Alford finished with a team-high 30 points despite shooting just 5-for-21 from the field.
He missed his first 11 shots of the game and didn't make a field goal until his layup with 4:36 remaining in regulation pulled the Bruins to within 62-60.
But Alford knocked down three huge 3-pointers, each of which tied the score in the closing seconds. He hit with 22.1 seconds left in regulation and again with 7.1 seconds left, sending the game into overtime tied 71-71.
After Washington jumped out to an 83-80 lead in the first overtime, Alford struck again with a 3-pointer from the wing with 13.1 seconds remaining.
The Huskies forced 25 turnovers, including two in the second overtime that resulted in fast-break baskets as they pulled away for the win. Washington, clinging to a two-point lead with 16.2 seconds left in the second session, had to overcome a pair of missed free throws from freshman Dejounte Murray. UCLA had a chance to tie at the other end, but Isaac Hamilton missed on a drive to the basket, and the Huskies then hit a free throw to open up a 94-91 lead before intentionally fouling Alford as he crossed half court with 1.8 seconds left on the clock.
Alford made both free throws, then Andrews hit a pair on the other end with 0.7 seconds left before Alford's 75-foot heave at the buzzer fell short.
"I appreciate his toughness," Steve Alford said, "because I hammered him at halftime. He was not good at leading this team in the first half. In the second half, he was great. ... He's made big shot after big shot for us, and that' what he did tonight."
Bryce Alford played all 48 minutes and made 17 of 18 shots from the free-throw line. Over his past three games, he has made just 12 of 45 shots (26.7 percent).
Alford made 3-pointers on the Bruins' final two possessions of regulation, including a score-tying shot over Murray with 7.1 seconds left, knotting the score at 71. He was 1-for-13 with six turnovers before hitting a 3-pointer with 22.1 seconds left to pull the Bruins to within 69-68. After a pair of Andrews' free throws, Alford hit another 3, from 22 feet out, to tie the score.
"Obviously, that was one of the worst nights of my career going into the final minute (of regulation)," Alford said after the loss. "But you just have to have confidence that you're going to help your team. I like to think I play my best when the game's on the line."
Washington junior Malik Dime scored eight of his 15 points over a 2 1/2-minute stretch in the second half, helping the Huskies hold off the Bruins before he fouled out with 1:36 remaining.
Thomas Welsh had 19 points for UCLA, while Isaac Hamilton added 15 for the Bruins.
"We had our chances," Steve Alford said after the loss. "We just didn't get enough done."
NOTES: Both teams struggled to score in the early going. Washington made just 3 of its first 17 field goals over the first 11 1/2 minutes, while UCLA started 4-for-16 from the field. During one six-minute span, Washington went 0-for-5 from the field, 1-for-4 from the line and turned the ball over four times. ... UCLA sophomore C Ikenna Okwarabizie, who had played just eight minutes all season, saw some action over the final minute of the first half because UCLA big men Thomas Welsh, Tony Parker and Jonah Bolden were all in foul trouble. ... Friday marked the Pac-12 opener for both teams. Only one of Washington's starters, senior G Andrew Andrews, had ever played a conference game before Friday night. The Huskies started four freshmen.
Top Game Performances
UCLA |
|
Washington |
Bryce Alford 30 |
Scoring |
Andrew Andrews 35 |
Isaac Hamilton 5 |
Assists |
Marquese Chriss 5 |
Thomas Welsh 15 |
Rebounds |
Noah Dickerson 10 |
Bryce Alford 17 |
Free Throws Made |
Andrew Andrews 17 |
Bryce Alford 2 |
Steals |
Andrew Andrews 3 |
Tony Parker 2 |
Blocks |
Matisse Thybulle 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
UCLA
|
93 |
37.7 |
3-11 |
38-50 |
11 |
53 |
4 |
10 |
24 |
Washington
|
96 |
36.2 |
11-34 |
27-40 |
17 |
45 |
4 |
11 |
16 |