The ball bounced off the top of the backboard, the whistle stunning the Matthew Knight Arena crowd into silence. And as Jaylen Nowell’s teammates swarmed him with celebratory hugs, Washington’s sophomore guard had just one thought.
We did it.
The Huskies (15-5, 6-0 Pac-12) didn’t have Oregon (11-8, 2-4) beat just yet. But after Payton Pritchard was called for a foul on Nowell’s deep, desperation 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left, the Huskies never had any doubt.
With the score tied 51-51, Nowell calmly stepped to the line and knocked down the first two free throws.