LOS ANGELES — Tony Wroten has made big plays for Washington all season long, and he carried the Huskies offensively through the first 39 minutes Thursday.
So with top-seeded Washington trailing Oregon State 84-83 with 31 seconds remaining in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals at Staples Center, there was no secret who was going to have the ball in his hands.
The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year drove and missed a layup, but he got his own rebound, only to be fouled with an opportunity to give the Huskies the lead at the free-throw line.
But the 57 percent free-throw shooter, who was 9 for 11 to that point in the game, missed both foul shots.
After Jared Cunningham missed two free throws on the Beavers' next possession, he fouled Wroten, putting him in an identical situation with 8.7 seconds remaining.
Once again, Wroten missed them both.
Cunningham went on to make two free throws, lifting the ninth-seeded Beavers (19-13) to an 86-84 upset of Washington (21-10) that damages the Huskies' NCAA tournament prospects.
Wroten, who did not answer questions after the game, led Washington with 29 points and seven rebounds.
"That stretch at the end was nail-biting," said Cunningham, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to
help the Beavers defeat the top seed in the conference tournament for
the first time in school history. "I fouled Tony going to the basket, and that wasn't part of the game plan going to the end. He got to the free-throw line and wasn't that successful."
Added Washington forward Darnell Gant: "After the first two misses, (Wroten) was real down on himself and I tried to encourage him because right after that Jared Cunningham missed two free throws, so he got another opportunity even though he didn't seize that moment."
The Huskies, the conference's regular-season champs, have lost two in row, and their fate rests in the hands of the NCAA tournament selection committee.
"I
know we haven't won as many games as we should have in nonconference
as a league," Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "I would think
the Pac-12 champion would be able to find a place in the NCAA tournament. We certainly didn't help ourselves today, but I would think
we would be able to find ourselves in there. But I am not on the
committee. We're just kind of at the mercy of their decision."
Oregon State coach Craig Robinson believes the Huskies are an NCAA tournament team.
"I
sure hope so," he said. "I hope that they're an NCAA team, because we just beat an
NCAA team and we think we can be a good NCAA team. I
know our league is considered down, but people don't understand how many
good teams we have in this conference. I know before the game I thought
they were well in. . . . If they're not and it's because of us, that's a
good thing."
Washington trailed by 13 at halftime but stormed out of the locker room, outscoring Oregon State 21-8 in the first seven minutes of the second half to tie the score 54-54.
The Huskies, who held the Beavers' backcourt of Cunningham and Ahmad Starks scoreless for nearly the first 16 minutes of the second half, then built a 66-58 lead on a Wroten dunk with 8:46 remaining.
Cunningham and Starks combined for 21 points in the first half, but they didn't score their first points of the second half until Cunningham made two free throws with 4:02 left to draw Oregon State within 75-71.
However, they re-emerged to make key plays down the stretch.
Starks, who scored 14, hit a 3-point basket with 1 minute left to pull the Beavers within 83-82. On Oregon State's next possession, Cunningham went around a screen and turned the corner to get to the basket for a layup plus the foul. He missed the free throw, but the Beavers had a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"Your best player has to help you win these kinds of games," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "Jared had a not-Jared-like shooting night, but he almost had a triple-double and he won the game for us with his play."
The Huskies, who had won the past two Pac-12 tournaments, are left to reflect until their postseason plans are determined.
"If we have the opportunity to play again, (the little things are) something we've got to make sure we focus on," Romar said. "Right now, we're just kind of playing the waiting game and seeing what's going to happen. I do believe we will be playing in the postseason somewhere, just not sure where and what tournament."
