Huskies roll on: UConn advances to its 25th straight Sweet 16 by thumping in-state neighbor Quinnipiac for its 34th victory in a row.
St. Mary’s did not trail in its second-round NIT game against Washington on Monday night, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t sweaty palms at McKeon Pavilion.
The Gaels led by 16 late in the third quarter, then had to hold off the Huskies down the stretch to prevail 85-81.
“They’re a good team,” St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett said of the Huskies. “I thought they played well — and I thought we played well.”
The top-seeded Gaels will host second-seeded Utah in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Utes (21-11) put together a 19-2 first-quarter blitz and cruised to a 95-71 victory against LSU (18-15) in Salt Lake City.
In Moraga, the Huskies had trimmed that 16-point lead to three with 4½ minutes remaining, and they had the ball.
But St. Mary’s center Jordan Hunter made a steal and fed Jordan Ford, who converted a cross-under to make it 75-70, Gaels.
St Mary’s was up 79-76 in the final minute. Ford then buried a three from beyond the top of the key and the Huskies would get no closer than three the rest of the way.
“I had a little hesitation because I saw a guy flying at me,” Ford said about that key three. “So I head-faked. But on the shot, no hesitation. Just got to let it fly.”
Ford, a sophomore guard, poured in a game-high 26 points, all but four in the second half.
St. Mary’s (30-5), which established a school record for wins in a season, also got 20 points off the bench from forward Evan Fitzner and 12 assists from point guard Emmett Naar.
St. Mary’s had five players score in double figures, as did Washington (21-13). Forward Noah Dickerson led the Huskies with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Washington’s Mike Hopkins, a longtime assistant to Jim Boeheim, brought the signature Syracuse zone with him to Seattle in his first season as a head coach.
The Gaels often exploited that zone by getting the ball to Fitzner in the open area along the foul line.
Said Bennett: “That’s how you attack: You get it to the middle and then that guy’s got to make good plays.”
The McKeon fans occasionally got on Fitzner for passing up what appeared to be open 12- to 15-footers.
The junior said Bennett gave him some good advice during a timeout.
“He said, ‘Don’t listen to the fans.’ I appreciate them wanting me to shoot and everything,” Fitzner said, “but it’s good to kind of just take your time when you get it in there and let everything happen. Then you just shoot it or make a pass to an open guy.”
Fitzner went 8-for-14 from the floor as the Gaels went 31-for-55 (56.4 percent).
Briefly: The Gaels (18-1 at McKeon) tied the school record for home wins in a season set in 2015-16. … This marked the third time St. Mary’s has hosted a Pac-10/ Pac-12 school in the NIT. The Gaels beat Washington State (and Klay Thompson) 68-57 in 2009 and beat Utah 7058 in 2014.