ANAHEIM, Calif. — Keion Brooks Jr. backed down a defender before turning and draining a midrange jumper in the final minute for one of the biggest shots in one of the Huskies’ biggest wins in recent years — a 68-64 overtime victory over Saint Mary’s in the Wooden Legacy championship game.
Brooks, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, walked away with the tournament MVP trophy, but there were plenty of heroes for the Washington men’s basketball team in a late Thanksgiving slugfest that was decided shortly before midnight at the Anaheim Convention Center.
“Four people in double figures, but that’s just the scoring part,” UW coach Mike Hopkins said. “The thing that I loved was the multiple efforts and loose-ball plays that you have to make to win the game.”
Before Brooks’ big shot, freshman guard Koren Johnson, who came off the bench and played 38 minutes, drained a clutch three-pointer to start the scoring for UW in the extra period.
Then center Braxton Meah, a 67% free throw shooter, benefited from a lane violation that negated his missed foul shot on a 1-and-1 situation. Given a reprieve, he drained two freebies that gave Washington a 63-62 lead with 1:18 left.
And at the other end, Meah blocked a shot and secured the rebound, which set up Brooks’ dagger that put UW up by three points with 43 seconds remaining.
“I knew we were in the bonus and I wasn’t trying to bail (the defender) out and just put pressure on the defense,” said Brooks who converted four of 11 field goals. “My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in the spot where I feel comfortable. I work on those shots all the time, working with coach Q (assistant coach Quincy Pondexter) and (associate head) coach (Will) Conroy.
“I knew that one of them was going to fall eventually so I just kept believing in it. Coach Q shared something with me before the game that really helped me. I was thinking about that during the game and it made me stay confident in that moment and I was able to make the shot.”
After a Gaels’ three-pointer rattled out of the rim, Meah collected his eighth rebound and PJ Fuller II canned a pair of free throws for a 67-62 lead with 15 seconds left that put the finishing touches on a game that began at 9:33 p.m. and came to a thrilling conclusion at 11:51 p.m.
“It wasn’t pretty, but I think that’s the thing that makes this so special is the potential of what our team can be,” Hopkins said. “I think we’re just scratching the surface of where we are right now and the team that we can become.”
The Huskies, who led for more than 28 minutes, needed an improbable comeback late in regulation that included a miraculous shot from Brooks who somehow rattled in a short jumper while falling to the floor.
“God was with me on that one,” Brooks said. “I just knew that we were in the bonus. I was trying to be aggressive going to the rim. I got to the middle lane and kind of slipped. I had to get it up to the rim to let Franck (Kepnang) or Braxton have a chance to rebound. And God laid it in for me.”
Soon after, Fuller also pulled off an improbable play while converting a layup in heavy traffic despite being fouled and falling out of bounds beneath the rim. His ensuing free throw tied it at 58-58 with 52 seconds left in the second half.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” Hopkins said. “It took lot of grit, a lot of toughness and togetherness. These guys showed up. Saint Mary’s is a championship program and one of the best defenses in the country.
“I thought we had one of our better defensive nights.”
The way Washington played defense in the first half, it looked as if the Huskies were using 10 players to stretch an impenetrable zone defense that neutralized a SMC offense that came into the game averaging 73.8 points while shooting 46.9% from the floor and 42.2% on three-pointers.
The Huskies surrounded Gaels leading scorer Mitchell Saxen, who played at Ingraham High in Seattle, inside and held him to eight of his game-high 19 points in the first half while disrupting SMC’s perimeter attack, which missed 11 of 13 three-pointers.
Washington led 28-22 at the break, which was just the second time this season UW was ahead after 20 minutes.
The Huskies stretched their lead to 37-30 and was up 51-47 with 5:10 left in the second half, when the Gaels used an 11-2 run to pull away for a 58-53 lead at the 1:43 mark.
“We got up five and should have won the game, but we didn’t,” SMC coach Randy Bennett said. “Down the stretch didn’t make enough smart plays and then they hit some shots.”
Brooks, Fuller (12 points) and Johnson (11 points) made the biggest baskets that will be remembered in a game in which Washington struggled at times offensively while committing 23 turnovers and tallying just seven assists on 23 field goals.
Meanwhile, Brooks combined with Meah and Kepnang to spearhead a stout front line that blocked seven shots while UW’s perimeter defense held Saint Mary’s to 6-for-29 shooting on 3s.
“We didn’t have one guy shoot above 33%,” Bennett said. “Against any zone you need shooters, especially against Washington because they’re big around the rim.
“You’re going to have to make some shots to beat them in that zone.”
Washington (5-1) handed Saint Mary’s (6-1) its first loss while capturing its first nonconference tournament title since winning the Wooden Legacy in 2014.
“It was big for our team just to get this win and go back to Seattle with the trophy,” said Kepnang, chipped in 10 points and five rebounds and was voted to the all-tournament team. “That’s what we said coming into the game is that we’re coming back home tomorrow with the trophy.”
Hopkins added: “Every game is about growing and learning about ourselves. We showed that we could make mistakes and still get better. As a team, we’re going to grow more tougher together. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s real. Our team showed a lot of toughness this weekend.”
NOTE:
— In addition to Wooden Legacy MVP Keion Brooks Jr. and Franck Kepnang, the all-tournament team included Saint Mary’s center Mitchell Saxen, Vanderbilt forward Liam Robbins and Fresno State forward Isaih Moore.
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.