Huskies beat USC, play UCLA for Pac-10 men's basketball lead on Saturday

Celebration complete, now comes showdown time for the Washington Huskies.

A hard-fought 78-73 win over USC on Thursday in front of 10,000 at Edmundson Pavilion not only proved a fitting capper for a night when the Huskies officially retired the jersey of Brandon Roy but set up a battle for first place Saturday against UCLA.

Washington and UCLA are tied atop the Pac-10 standings at 5-1 after each won Thursday night while California was upset by Oregon State.

"Big game," said guard Isaiah Thomas simply enough of Saturday's contest.

Maybe as big as UW has played since Roy left town. The Huskies are 14-4 overall and winners of 12 of their past 13.

And while there were a few false starts Thursday — UW had 18 turnovers and shot just 37 percent — the Huskies pulled away late, leading by as many as 13 points in the final minutes in front of a crowd electrified by the pregame retirement party for Roy.

"It was weird just knowing he was getting his jersey retired," Thomas said. "We've got to win the game just because of that, so that was big. It got us hyped up to win, and we came out and played hard."

Still, Washington led just 31-30 at halftime and trailed by three early in the second half.

But Justin Dentmon, who led the Huskies with 22 points, keyed a 22-10 run that put UW in control for good, capping it with a four-point play on a three-pointer and a free throw. Dentmon was 3 for 4 on three-pointers as the Huskies, who aren't highly ranked in three-point shooting but are earning a reputation for hitting them at key times, were 6 for 11 overall from beyond the arc.

Thomas scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half as the Huskies held on to get the win despite just four points from senior forward Jon Brockman. Brockman was 0 of 8, the first time since his freshman season that he didn't hit at least one field goal — he missed a breakaway layin in the final minute to cap a frustrating offensive night, though he finished with a team-high 13 rebounds.

The last time Brockman was held without a field goal was the NCAA tourney win over Illinois in 2006 when he played just 15 minutes.

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said the fact the Huskies were able to win in the face of Brockman's struggles "makes a statement about what this team is about. Our guys really competed and battled."

Indeed, the Huskies simply gritted this one out, forcing 20 turnovers and hitting a season-high 32 free throws in 40 attempts. It was the second straight game UW has hit 80 percent of its free throws, continuing a turnaround for a team that was last in the nation at the line a year ago.

"It came down to who wanted it more and who was tougher," Thomas said. "We obviously were tougher and wanted it more than they did."

USC played without leading scorer Dwight Lewis, a junior guard who suffered a sprained ankle in practice Monday.

The Trojans stayed in it early thanks in part to some highlight-reel plays from freshman DeMar DeRozan, who had 12 points in the first half. But he was one of three Trojans who fouled out in the second half and finished with just 16.

"We fouled too much to win on the road," said USC coach Tim Floyd. "We just gave up too many free throws."

The Huskies hit 23 of 29 free throws in putting the game away in the second half, then quickly turned their attention to the Bruins, whom they have beaten four straight years in Seattle.

"This feels great just to be in this position," Dentmon said. "We've just got to fight for it to stay in this position."

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com

USC
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Washington	28	1-8	0-0	0-2	3	5	2
DeRozan	31	7-11	2-2	4-7	0	5	16
Gibson	38	5-10	5-5	7-13	1	2	15
Wilkinson	25	1-3	2-2	0-1	0	5	5
Hackett	40	9-17	4-8	1-4	4	1	24
Johnson	23	4-8	0-0	0-2	1	3	8
Vucevic	8	0-0	0-0	0-2	1	0	0
Simmons	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	3	0
Smith	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	3
	200	28-60	13-17	12-34	10	25	73

Percentages: FG .467, FT .765. Three-point goals: 4-15, (DeRozan 0-2, Wilkinson 1-3, Hackett 2-6, Johnson 0-1, Simmons 0-1, Smith 1-2). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 6, (Gibson 3, Wilkinson, Vucevic 2). Turnovers: 20, (Washington, DeRozan 6, Gibson 3, Wilkinson 2, Hackett 5, Johnson 2, Smith). Steals: 8, (Washington 4, Gibson 2, Johnson 2).

WASHINGTON
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Pondexter	32	4-10	3-3	2-3	5	3	11
Brockman	33	0-8	4-6	3-13	1	2	4
Gant	16	1-5	0-0	0-2	2	0	2
Thomas	27	4-10	8-14	1-4	0	3	17
Dentmon	33	4-7	11-11	1-4	0	1	22
Overton	17	2-4	0-0	0-0	2	1	6
Bryn-Amnng	24	3-7	6-6	3-4	0	4	12
Holiday	15	2-2	0-0	0-1	2	3	4
Turner	3	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0
	200	20-54	32-40	14-36	12	18	78

Percentages: FG .370, FT .800. Three-point goals: 6-11, (Pondexter 0-1, Thomas 1-3, Dentmon 3-4, Overton 2-2, Turner 0-1). Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 0, (). Turnovers: 18, (Pondexter 3, Brockman, Thomas 3, Dentmon 6, Overton 3, Bryan-Amaning, Holiday). Steals: 6, (Pondexter 2, Brockman, Dentmon, Bryan-Amaning, Holiday).

USC	30	43	—	73
Washington	31	47	—	78

Attendance: 10,000. Officials: Tony Padilla, Bob Staffen, Ken Ditty .Technical fouls: USC-Washington, Leonard. Washington-None.