SEATTLE — One glance at the shot clock told Killian Tillie there was no choice. He had to launch the jumper 30 feet from the basket.
When the shot left Tillie’s hand, it felt just like a normal 3-point attempt, even if he was almost closer to half-court. And the result? “
“It felt good. It was cash,” Tillie said.
The senior forward hit the key 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:55 remaining and finished with 15 points, Joel Ayayi hit another 3 with 24 seconds left that served as a capper, and No. 9 Gonzaga held off No. 22 Washington 83-76 on Sunday night.
Control of the in-state rivalry remained on the east side of the state as the Bulldogs (10-1) could never pull away but made the key plays in the closing minutes to hold off the young Huskies (7-2). Gonzaga has won six straight in the series, with Washington’s last win coming in 2005.
It was a fun, loud, exciting night where Washington’s home arena roared in hope of the Huskies mounting a comeback. But every rally was stemmed and it was the Gonzaga fans yelling and cheering at the end.
“It was just a great college basketball game. Big shot after big shot. Big play after big play,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.
Except it was the Bulldogs who made more of the big plays and especially the big shots.
Tillie and Ayayi were two of the heroes on a night the Bulldogs put five players into double figures. Filip Petrusev finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Ryan Woolridge had 16 points, including two key baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Corey Kispert added 15 points and Ayayi finished with 12, but none bigger than his 3 in the final minute.
“We did a really good job taking away the 3 until the end of the game,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said.
Ayayi had just missed a 3 on Gonzaga’s previous possession, but didn’t hesitate to launch another 3 after Washington’s Nahziah Carter had missed a drive at the other end that could have pulled the Huskies within one.
“I felt really comfortable when I got the ball and somebody had to shoot it,” Ayayi said.
Isaiah Stewart led Washington with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels and Carter both added 15 points and Quade Green finished with 14.
Gonzaga never trailed after falling behind 5-4, but the lead never got bigger than nine. Every time Washington made a run, the Bulldogs had an answer.
Gonzaga took its biggest lead at 65-56 with 8:35 left when Drew Timme tipped in Woolridge’s miss. It seemed a substantial advantage after the teams spent the first 30-plus minutes never separated by more than a couple of points.
But Washington responded with a pair of free throws from Stewart and off a turnover a floater from Carter to pull back within 65-60 and force a Gonzaga timeout. Tillie stemmed the momentum with a tough basket, but Hameir Wright answered with a 3 for Washington and the lead was 67-63 with 7 minutes left.
Gonzaga pushed the lead back to 7, but Carter’s fast-break layup, followed by Stewart hustling to save a loose ball and McDaniels hitting a 3 pulled the Huskies to 72-70 with 3:51 left.
That’s when Tillie saw the shot clock winding down and launched from well-beyond the 3-point line. The 3 pushed the lead back to five and after Carter hit a 3 for Washington, Woolridge scored on consecutive possessions for the Bulldogs.
Ayayi’s 3 was the capper that sent Washington fans to the exits.
“We did a good job every time answering them,” Tillie said.
UCLA 81, DENVER 62
LOS ANGELES — It was Cody Riley's turn and he made the most of it.
The sophomore had career-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds to help UCLA rout Denver 81-62 on Sunday in the Bruins' first game in a week.
Riley became the sixth different player to lead the Bruins in scoring through 10 games.
“It was just my teammates," Riley said. “They found me in the right spots and got me going early."
Freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 16 points for the Bruins (7-3) who led all the way in the teams' first meeting since 1976. They improved to 11-1 all-time against Denver, having won the last five games in a row.
Riley scored eight of UCLA's first 10 points to open the second half, capped by a dunk off Tyger Campbell's miss. Riley later fouled out.
“He can score if you don't double him," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of Riley. “He's got to learn to play smarter with his fouls."
The Bruins raced to an 11-0 lead to start the game, including six by Riley. They shot 50% and scored 19 points off Denver's turnovers in the half.
The Pioneers twice closed within one before UCLA outscored them 17-7 to head into halftime leading 43-32. Jaquez hit two 3-pointers in the spurt and Riley added five points.
Denver never got a run together in the second half when they trailed by 21 points, allowing the Bruins to play stretches with their reserves. After making six 3-pointers in the first half on 60% shooting, the Pioneers made just one by Ade Murkey in the second half.
“For us, it's a lesson more than a loss," Pioneers coach Rodney Billups said. “When we share the ball and move the ball, we're going to get some wins. We won't see another UCLA on our schedule."
Murkey scored 18 points to lead Denver (4-6).
“I just wanted to do more to help the team," Murkey said.
