It wasn't pretty but it seldom is for this blue collar bunch of Huskies but Washington was able to overcome a ten point deficit in the second half to beat Arizona 83-78. Washington was able to overcome a horrid 19-35 night at the charity strip to clinch their first Pac 10 championship since 1985.
The Huskies were led by Jon Brockman and Isaiah Thomas who each scored 19 points. Quincy Pondexter had 12, and Justin Dentmon chipped in 10 for the Dawgs. A big key in this victory was the Washington bench which provided plenty of minutes and 23 points.
Jordan Hill was a true warrior tonight for Arizona. He scored 27 points and was basically down to one leg for the last five minutes of the game after spraining his ankle. I don't know a lot of players who would have returned after that injury. He earned a lot of respect from everyone in attendance this afternoon.
The difference in this one is simply the quality depth Washington brings to the table. The Huskies frankly don't match up well with the Wildcats and that depth was the factor that put them over the top in the last ten minutes when Arizona began to get into foul trouble.
Next up for Washington are the Seattle University Redhawks on Tuesday night and the conference finale next Saturday against WSU at Hec Edmundson. If Washington can defeat the Cougars they will win their first undisputed Pac 10 championship since 1953.