After jumping to an 11-0 record, the No. 21-ranked Washington Huskies are suddenly stumbling following a sweep at the hands of the Pac-12’s Bay Area schools. UW (11-3, 0-2) had its third consecutive loss Sunday night, a 68-60 overtime decision to Stanford (10-3, 2-0) at Maples Pavilion, two nights after blowing a halftime lead in a loss to Cal.
With 13 seconds remaining, the Huskies were well-positioned to escape with a road split to open conference play. Leading 56-54, guard Nigel Williams-Goss, dealing with back spasms throughout the evening, stepped to the foul line with the opportunity to make it a two-possession game.
But the sophomore missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Stanford guard Chasson Randle responded with a tying layup with two seconds left to bring overtime.
The Cardinal made its first three shot attempts, capped when Allen Rosco drilled a three-pointer with 2:42 for a 63-58 lead. The Huskies cut the lead to 63-60 with 1:14 remaining but couldn’t get any closer, as center Robert Upshaw missed a pair of free throws inside the final minute.
The result was especially disappointing for UW after opening with a 14-4 lead. But the Huskies couldn’t sustain the offensive rhythm. UW didn’t record a field goal over the final 9:53 of the first half. Stanford entered the break on a 13-3 run to tie at 28.
Shawn Kemp Jr. led the Huskies with 19 points and five rebounds, while Upshaw came off the bench to record a double-double (10 points, 10 boards). It wasn’t enough on a night UW shot 38 percent from the floor and 24 percent (four-for-17) from three-point range. The Huskies finished with 19 turnovers, which Stanford converted into 27 points.
UW has five days off before they host Washington State (7-7, 1-1) Saturday in its conference home opener at Alaska Airlines Arena.
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