“We had a good run last year,” LeDee said of the trip to the Final Four, “and there was a lot of adversity during the tournament, right? (It was just) using those experiences we had and staying cool and executing.”Ī turnover and a couple missed free throws allowed Washington (3-2) to pull within a point with 6.1 seconds to go. It took career highs in points (34) and rebounds (17) from Jaedon LeDee in 41 leg-wobbling minutes, plus a clutch steal by Lamont Butler – his fifth of the game – with 15 seconds left, followed by a crucial non-call at the overtime buzzer to seal the victory.īut before all that, there were 11 ties and 13 lead changes, … 41 free throws by the Aztecs, … a surprise zone from the Huskies, … both Huskies bigs fouling out, … a furious Huskies press that kept trapping Aztecs players in the corner, … an Aztecs seven-point lead evaporating in 43 seconds, … and a whistle after the regulation buzzer that gave the Huskies a chance to either win or force OT. “You’re in the fighting capital of the world, and it was a heavyweight fight,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said, “It was going back and forth.”
