Huskies Go for Sweep of Utah in Pac-12 Tourney Opener
As they meet for a third time on Wednesday night in the Pac-12 tournament, Utah knows it has had every opportunity to beat the University of Washington on the basketball floor this season.
Their first time out, the Utes were done in at home by a continuous swishing sound.
In the rematch on the road three weeks later, Utah heard only a couple of ill-timed clanks.
The results were 74-68 and 77-73 victories for the Huskies, the second one coming in double overtime.
They enter the 8:30 p.m. rubber match in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, prepared for yet another close one.
"When you play a team a third time, there are no secrets," Husky coach Mike Hopkins said.
The first time around in Salt Lake City, the Utes (11-19 overall, 4-16 Pac-12) built a 14-point lead early in the second half only to squander it as Cole Bajema stepped up for the first time as a difference-maker for the UW.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore swingman from Lynden, Washington, let loose with a career-best 15 points for the Huskies (16-14, 11-9), hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers as he effectively worked his way around the perimeter at the Huntsman Center.
That held up as his personal high only until the next game, when Bajema went for 18 points at Colorado.
He hasn't exceeded either total since, though he appears to be a much more confident player because of it.
Utah and the UW pushed each other into double overtime at Alaska Airlines Arena only because Utes guard Both Gach had mid-range jumpers to win bounce off at the end of regulation and the first extra session.
Terrell Brown Jr. topped the Huskies with 30 points, one of four games in which the Pac-12's leading scorer reached that total or more this season.
The winner of this matchup advances to Thursday night's quarterfinal round against third-seeded USC (25-6, 14-6) for yet another 8:30 p.m. tipoff.
To read our game summaries of the first two UW-Utah basketball games, click on the following links:
Game 1: Washington 74, at Utah 68
Game 2: at Washington 77, Utah 73 (2 OT)
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