ANAHEIM, Calif. — Andrew Andrews scored 20 points and Washington sunk six free throws in the final 45 seconds for the deciding points to edge UTEP 68-65 in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy.
Nigel Williams-Goss had 16 points and six assists and Jernard Jareau added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies (6-0).
Vince Hunter had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Miners (4-1). Julian Washburn added 17 points and Cedrick Lang scored 14.
UTEP led 63-62 with 2:02 remaining, but couldn’t hold on. Mike Anderson sunk the tying and go-ahead free throws for Washington with 48 seconds left and Andrews and Williams-Goss each sunk two for insurance.
Omega Harris’ potential game-tying 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer. UTP made just 2 of 15 3-point attempts in the game, while Washington was 6 of 12.
Washington never trailed in the first half and went into halftime up 33-26, but UTEP slowly chipped away at the lead. The Miners opened the second half on a 10-4 run to make it a 1-point game and, after some back and forth, took their first lead on a vicious alley-oop dunk by Hunter to make it 43-41 UTEP with 13 minutes remaining.
The dunk, made possible by a steal and lob pass by Earvin Morris, brought the sizable Miners fan section to its feet and forced Washington coach Lorenzo Romar to call a timeout.
Williams-Goss tied it with a layup nine seconds after the dunk, Darin Johnson followed with an easy layup to give Washington the lead back, and Donaven Dorsey drained a 3-pointer in front of his own bench for an exclamation point to the Huskies surge.
But again the Miners fought back, staging a 10-0 run to take a 55-52 lead just inside the six minute mark.
More back-and-forth ensured until it was 63-62 UTEP, but Washington’s success from the free throw line gave them the lead and the championship.
TIP-INS
Washington: The Huskies are off to their first 6-0 start since 2006-07. Williams-Goss was named Tournament MVP and Andrews was named to the all-tournament team. Washington is now 4-4 all-time against the Miners.
UTEP: The Miners haven’t won an in-season tournament outside of their own Sun Bowl Invitational since December 1984. Hunter is the first UTEP player with a double-double in the Miners first five games of a season since Jim Barnes in 1963-64. Washburn passed Jason Williams for 14th on the school’s all-time scoring list. Washburn has 1,437 career points.
UP NEXT
Washington: Hosts No. 15 San Diego State on Dec. 7.
