Huskies Get Beat Near Final Buzzer This Time Against Cal

Jalen Celestine's 3-pointer does in the UW with 4 seconds left.

The University of Washington basketball team didn't get to celebrate another Moses Wood 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat California. In fact, the Huskies watched in horror as the Bears repaid the favor, with Jalen Celestine draining a game-deciding trey with four seconds left to pull out an 82-80 victory on Saturday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.

With 15 seconds left to play, the Huskies had the ball and a one-point lead when disaster struck — Sahvir Wheeler lost the ball when he dribbled it off his foot, giving Cal plenty of opportunity to pull this one out. 

Following a timeout, Celestine, a 6-foot-7 junior guard from Long Island, New York, took a pass on the right side of the key and let fly with a soft left-handed shot that nestled in to determine things. He finished with 8 points, all coming in the game's final 2:21.

"We can't break down at the end of the game and expect to win," Husky forward Keion Brooks said.

The UW (14-12 overall, 6-9 Pac-12) was left to make a mad dash up the floor where Wheeler missed a lay-in at the buzzer. The outcome ended a two-game win streak for the Huskies, who entered the contest tied with Cal (11-15, 7-8) and Utah for eighth place in the conference standings. 

"We kind of shot ourselves in the foot," UW coach Mike Hopkins said.

The Huskies were led by Brooks' 26 points and received a second consecutive productive outing from sophomore guard Koren Johnson, who had 16 coming off the bench following his career-high 30 points against Stanford two nights earlier.

While Wood was good for the knockout punch in the first game in Berkeley, a guy named Tyson landed a bunch of punches for the Bears to keep things interesting early on in Montlake. Jaylon, not Mike. 

A 6-foot-7, 215-pound junior from Plano, Texas, the sleek forward got loose for 21 first-half points to put Cal in front by as many as seven and ahead by 42-38 at intermission. He connected on 11 of 20 shots over two halves and finished with a game-high 28 points.

For a late-arriving crowd that turned an empty gym near tipoff into three-quarters full, the Huskies' Wheeler came down on the game's first possession and threw up an airball and hit the backboard but missed the rim on the second possession

It was an indicator this game might be competitive but it wasn't going to be pretty.

Tyson, a well-traveled player who suited up for Texas and Texas Tech before transferring to Cal, dropped in 8 of 11 shots over the first 20 minutes to keep the home team in a chase mode.

The Huskies got a break when Cal's 6-foot-11, 245-pound center Fardaws Aimaq, an old nemesis from Vancouver, British Columbia, fouled out with 4:40 left to play. He departed with 13 points and 15 rebounds and the game very much in question.

Two seasons earlier, Aimaq and his Utah Valley team at the time came into Montlake and beat the Huskies 68-52 in what was considered an upset. He supplied a 15-point, 15-rebound outing.

He since transferred to Texas Tech for an injury-filled season and ended up at Cal after considering Gonzaga, Texas, Iowa and even the Huskies.

The Bears didn't need him to win. The Huskies built a 75-70 lead, tied for their biggest of the game with 4:22 left to play, but they couldn't hold on. 

Celestine's two free throws with 2:21 left pulled Cal within 77-76 and his 3-pointer with 1:40 to go tied the game at 79.

With 1:16 left to play, Wheeler put the UW back in front by hitting the second of two free throws. It wasn't enough. His turnover a minute later couldn't have been more costly.

On the game-winner, Celestine received the ball from Tyson, who was the first option but had a couple of Huskies on him, and he made the Huskies pay for everything. 

Blowing the lead. Giving up the ball. Leaving him wide open.

"We've lost a lot of games late this season," Hopkins said.

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