Washington men can’t hit free throws, fall to 0-3 in Pac-12 after loss to Ducks

SEATTLE – Down two points with the clock expiring, Paul Mulcahy got a good look at a corner 3-pointer that would have given the Washington men’s basketball team a big win.

His shot, however, rimmed out and the Huskies lost 76-74 to Oregon on Thursday night in their Pac-12 home opener.

When they look back at this game, the Huskies will also lament the points they squandered at the free-throw line. UW was 12 of 22 on foul shots.

Sahvir Wheeler led Washington with 18 points, Keion Brooks Jr. had 16, Wilhelm Breidenbach 14, Koren Johnson 12 and Moses Wood 11.

The Huskies have lost three in a row and fell to 8-6 overall, 0-3 in the Pac-12.

The short-handed Ducks (11-3, 3-0) came into the game missing injured center N’Faly Dante (knee) and riding a nine-game winning streak.

The Huskies led 36-30 in the first half in part because of an overwhelming disparity in free-throw attempts.

UW was 8 for 13 at the line while UO was 1 of 1.

Brooks also labored through a miserable shooting performance in the first half when he connected on 2 of 5 field goals and was 1 of 5 on foul shots.

The second half belonged to Oregon, which connected on 12 of its first 16 field goals and made nine straight shots to go up 58-51 with 10:43 left.

The Huskies, which overcame a seven-point deficit with 10 minutes in the second half, tied it up after Johnson drained a 3-pointer in the corner off a feed from Wheeler.

On the ensuing possession, Wheeler’s steal ignited a UW fast break that ended with Johnson slicing to the rim for a layup and a 67-65 lead with 3:23 left.

Ducks guard Brennan Rigsby buried a corner 3-pointer that put Oregon up 70-67.

On the next possession, Brooks answered with a short jumper despite being fouled, but missed the ensuing free throw that would have tied it.

Minutes later, Johnson drained another clutch 3 to tie it at 72 when Oregon answered with a short jumper to go up by two.

Then Brooks knotted the score at 74 before the Ducks capped the scoring with a layup.

Washington hosts Oregon State at 3 p.m. Saturday.