University of Washington
Oregon State
Huskies Complete Improbable Rally, Sink Beavers In Corvallis
January 06, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2011
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The situation sure looked dire. Facing a 13-point deficit with just over five minutes to play at Gill Coliseum, the Huskies appeared well on their way to a third straight conference loss.
But these Huskies, who have galvanized and hardened in recent weeks while faced with adversity, refused to capitulate.
"I just think it was a great confidence booster for our kids," Jackson said. "We've been keeping them close, but we wanted to close this out."
Washington ended the game on a 16-0 run, a dramatic turn of events that left the Beavers stun and the Huskies jubilant as they secured their first Pac-10 win with a 55-52 victory. Kristi Kingma led the way with 15 points (and a career-best five 3-pointer), but it was a collective effort that allowed the Huskies to pull off an improbable escape.
The junior also recorded a career-best 11 rebounds, notching her first double-double in the process.
But the Huskies made note after the game the real catalyst was Charmaine Barlow. Her fiery words at halftime spurred the team, and despite the deep second-half deficit, the Huskies drew upon her leadership.
"Charmaine is stepping up as a leader. She was pretty frustrated with how she was playing, along with the rest of us," Kingma said. "She definitely gave us a piece of her mind."
Barlow punctuated her night with a 3-pointer - the first of her career - with 2:52 remaining. That cut a seven-point OSU lead to four, and sucked the air right out of Gill Coliseum. From then on, the Huskies amped up the pressure. Mercedes Wetmore stole the ensuing inbounds pass, which then led to a layup by Marjorie Heard.
Two point game.
After a missed 3-pointer by Sage Indendi, the Huskies tied the game on a layup by Mackenzie Argens, who scored 13 points to highlight a productive evening. At that point, the Beavers were stunned. So were the 1,224 in attendance, minus a raucous contingent of Huskies fans.
Washington took the lead on a free throw by Heard. After another missed shot by Earlysia Marchbanks, Wetmore sealed the game with a pair of free throws with three seconds to go.
Wetmore made the key plays down the stretch, but it was the senior who marshaled the team through adversity. She deftly maneuvered around and through the Beavers' 2-3 zone, kicking the ball out to open shooters and totaling a career high 10 assists.
In terms of comebacks, this is one the Huskies will savor for a while. But the group also knows they have to turn around and play the run-and-gun Oregon Ducks on Saturday, a game that will serve as the final collegiate basketball game at McArthur Court.
Some key pieces are also making healthy returns to the Huskies' roster. Regina Rogers played for the first time in the season opener, notching six points. Following the game, Kingma was asked about how the Huskies were able to convert a sloppy first half into a stalwart, hard-fought win.
"I think we were a little bit over-anxious at first. We didn't make our 3's," Kingma said. "But once we settled down we were fine."
