The Washington Huskies came through in the clutch on Wednesday night, holding off a stubborn USC Trojans team down the stretch before pulling away in overtime. In the Pac-10 opener, the Trojans hung with the Huskies down the stretch, using two Nikola Vucevic free throws with just over a minute left to force a tie. In the overtime period, Washington put the game away at the free throw line in a game that saw 49 fouls called in 45 minutes.
The UCLA Bruins used a strong second half to drop the surging Washington State Cougars on Wednesday, 80-71. The Bruins went into the half down by eight, but used a huge scoring outburst, and strong defense, in the second half to put the Cougars away.
On Friday at 1 p.m., live on FSN in the Northwest, the Bruins and Huskies do battle in an intriguing matchup. Both teams come into the game 1-0 in Pac-10 play and are looking to finish the weekend with a perfect record, starting the Pac-10 on the right foot. The Bruins bring a talented trio of big men to the table, creating a nightmare matchup for many teams. Freshman Josh Smith, from Kentwood High School, Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt all have the ability to dominate in the post, with Honeycutt able to stretch the defense beyond the three-point line. The Washington defense will be put to the test again, forced to hold off the three-headed monster.
Need a break from bowl season? Check out the Huskies and Bruins live on FSN at 1 p.m. Washington is in the glow of its Holiday Bowl victory and could walk out of California with a perfect week in both football and basketball. Follow the action in our StoryStream throughout the game.