UW Women Go on 20-0 Tear to Beat Eastern Washington

Tina Langley's team proves resilient in Husky Classic opener.

Unwilling to give in, the University of Washington women's basketball team went on a 20-0 tear to erase a big deficit and enable a 62-59 victory over Eastern Washington in the Husky Classic on Saturday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Trailing 44-32, the Huskies (4-3) scored the final 10 points of the third quarter and the first 10 of the final period to build a 52-44 advantage.

However, the hard work still wasn't done.

Tied at 54 with 1:16 left to play, the UW still needed a jumper in the key from freshman forward Alexis Whitfield to take the lead for good against a scrappy Eastern team (2-6).

The Huskies actually trailed by as many as 13 at 36-23 early in the third quarter.

"It's one of the things we work tremendously on, how to have poise, how to make sure we get the right shot in the possession," UW coach Tina Langley said. "I felt like everyone was very unselfish and had the confidence to take it when it was their time."

Lauren Schwartz led the UW with 18 points / Skylar Lin Visuals

Lauren Schwartz, a Rice transfer and a 5-foot-11 sophomore from Union, Kentucky, led the Huskies in scoring for the first time this season, finishing with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

Leading 57-56 inside the final minute, Schwartz made a reverse layup to give the Huskies a three-point lead and Trinity Oliver sealed the game with a steal and breakaway layup to give the Huskies an insurmountable five-point lead with 10 seconds remaining.

Nancy Mulkey, left, and Missy Peterson (44) listen to coach Tina Langley's instructions / Skylar Lin Visuals

Junior guard T.T. Watkins, a 5-foot-11 junior from Walnut, California, had her best game as a Husky, coming off the bench to score a career-high 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

Oliver, a Baylor transfer and a 5-foot-9 guard from Euless, Texas, chipped in 7 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for the UW.

The Classic continues with Eastern Washington and Nevada playing at 2 p.m. on Sunday, and the Huskies meeting Nevada at 2 on Monday. 

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky Maven stories as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven