McDaniels, Stewart propel Washington past Arizona 69-63
Mar 7, 2020, 10:35 PM
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jaden McDaniels scored 20 points and Isaiah Stewart added 16 points as the freshmen made sure Washington finished the Pac-12 regular season with a flourish in a 69-63 victory over Arizona on Saturday night.
Jamal Bey had 12 points and the Huskies (15-16, 5-13) limited Arizona to 35% shooting to complete a two-game sweep of the Arizona trip after losing their first seven Pac-12 road games.
Dylan Smith had 19 points and tied a carer high with six 3-pointers, Zeke Nnajki had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Nico Mannion had 11 points for the Wildcats (20-11, 10-8), who lost three of their last four to fall out of contention for one of four first-round byes in the Pac-12 tournament.
Washington went 8:06 without a field goal late in the second half but made nine free throws to maintain the lead before Bey and McDaniels made back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Huskies in front 65-55.
Smith, playing with both nostrils packed with cotton after taking an elbow to the face in the first half, made all six of of his 3-pointers in the second half, his sixth making it 65-59 with 35.6 seconds remaining before Bey made four free throws to ice it.
BIG PICTURE
Washington: The Huskies will enter the Pac-12 tournament on a roll after winning three of their last four games following a nine-game losing streak. The Huskies picked up their first league road win at Arizona State on Thursday.
Arizona: The Wildcats will return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence, although their seed is in question. They are expected to be seeded in the six to eight range, depending on their play in the conference tournament. Arizona is ranked 10th in the nation in the most NET rankings, a tool used by the NCAA to help determine tournament seeding.
LAST CALL
Five freshmen may have played their final college regular-season game here Saturday. Arizona center Zeke Nnaji and guards Nico Mannion and Josh Green and Washington center Isaiah Stewart and forward Jaden McDaniels are projected as first-round picks in the 2020 NBA draft by several reputable scouting services. Arizona coach Sean Miller has confirmed that Mannion will declare for the draft.
UP NEXT
Arizona and Washington will play each other in the first found of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Arizona is the fifth seed and Washington is the 12th.
