Washington beats Arizona State 84-82 in OT after blowing 25-point lead
Washington guard Koren Johnson (0), left, drives the basket against Arizona State guard Adam Miller (44) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
TEMPE, Ariz. — Braxton Meah made two free throws with 32 seconds left in overtime and Washington beat Arizona State 84-82 after blowing a 25-point, second-half lead on Thursday night.
The Huskies (15-12, 7-9 Pac-12 Conference) led 49-24 after Sahvir Wheeler sank a 3-pointer and 1 of 2 free throws 91 seconds into the second half. Frankie Collins scored 19 of his 21 points from there for the Sun Devils (13-14, 7-9), and his layup with seven seconds remaining sent the game to overtime tied at 75.
Collins fouled out 61 seconds into the five-minute period and Meah made 1 of 2 free throws to give Washington the lead. Jose Perez answered with a jumper and Shawn Phillips Jr. made two free throws to put Arizona State up 79-76 with 3:14 to play. Keion Brooks Jr. sank two free throws and Moses Wood followed with a layup as the Huskies moved in front by a point.
Jamiya Neal dunked and Perez made the second of two foul shots for ASU, but Wood's layup knotted the score at 82. After Meah gave the Huskies the lead, Kamari Lands and Phillips missed shots in the final three seconds and the Sun Devils fell short of staging the biggest comeback in Division I play this season.
Brooks led Washington with 21 points, adding eight rebounds. Koren Johnson had 17 points and seven assists. Meah finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for his third double-double. He was 1 for 5 from the foul line until sinking two for the victory. Wood scored 10.
Perez scored 15 with six rebounds for Arizona State. Adam Miller had 14 points and Kamari Lands scored 11.
Wilhelm Breidenbach followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer and Brooks added a layup as Washington jumped out to a 17-7 lead seven minutes into the game.
Arizona State guard Frankie Collins (1) and Arizona State guard Adam Miller (44) react to their deficit against Washington during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
Collins sank a jumper with 5:10 remaining to pull Arizona State within 29-24. Brooks and Johnson answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Huskies closed on a 16-0 run to take a 45-24 advantage into halftime. The Sun Devils missed their final eight attempts and shot 29%.
Washington snapped a four-game losing streak in Tempe and swept the season series.
Arizona State will host No. 21 Washington State on Saturday. Washington travels to play No. 4 Arizona on Saturday.
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Washington guard Koren Johnson (0) shoots over Arizona State guard Adam Miller (44) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
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