Washington blows 25-point lead, then edges ASU in OT

Feb 22, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) works under the basket against Washington Huskies center Braxton Meah (34) during the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Braxton Meah made two free throws with 32 seconds remaining in overtime as Washington outlasted Arizona State 84-82 after blowing a 25-point, second-half lead on Thursday in Tempe, Ariz.

Keion Brooks Jr. led the Huskies (15-12, 7-9 Pac-12) with 21 points and Koren Johnson added 17. Meah had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Frankie Collins scored 21 points for the Sun Devils (13-14, 7-9), including 10 in the final 1:23 of regulation to tie the score. He also finished with eight rebounds and three steals.

The Sun Devils, who took a 105-60 defeat Saturday at then-No. 5 Arizona, appeared on their way to another blowout loss when the Huskies led 49-24 with 18:29 remaining.

Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley made a five-man substitution, and his second unit sparked an 8-0 run.

Kamari Lands (11 points) made three 3-pointers in a span of 2:43 to pull the Sun Devils within 51-38.

A driving layup by Collins made it a 10-point game with 8:56 left. He added a 3-pointer with 7:03 to go to pull the Sun Devils within 61-54.

A layup by Arizona State’s Jose Perez (15 points) made it 65-61 with 3:28 left before Washington’s Paul Mulcahy sank a jumper from the left side.

The teams traded free throws for the next few possessions.

Collins hit two 3-pointers in the final 1:23 of regulation, then converted a driving layup with 6.9 seconds left to tie it at 75-all and force overtime.

Collins fouled out with 3:59 left in overtime. Perez soon made a jumper to give the Sun Devils a 77-76 lead, their first since they were up 1-0.

Washington’s Moses Wood made a reverse layup to tie the score with 1:01 left in OT ahead of Meah’s winning foul shots.

The Huskies took a 45-24 lead at the half as Brooks, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, had 14 points and Johnson added 12 off the bench. Adam Miller topped the Sun Devils with seven first-half points, and he finished with 14.

Washington scored the last 16 points of the first half and the first four points of the second half.

–Field Level Media

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