No. 9 Gonzaga uses late 3s to beat No. 22 Washington 83-76

SEATTLE (AP) — Killian Tillie made a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:55 remaining and finished with 15 points, Joel Ayayi hit another 3 with 24 seconds left and No. 9 Gonzaga held off No. 22 Washington 83-76 on Sunday night.

Control of the in-state rivalry remained on the east side of the state as the Bulldogs (10-1) could never pull away but made the key plays in the closing minutes to hold off the young Huskies (7-2). Gonzaga has won six straight in the series, with Washington’s last win coming in 2005.

Tillie and Ayayi were two of the heroes on a night the Bulldogs put five players into double figures. Filip Petrusev finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Ryan Woolridge had 16 points, including two key baskets in the final 2 ½ minutes. Corey Kispert added 15 points and Ayayi finished with 12, but none bigger than his 3 in the final minute.

Isaiah Stewart led Washington with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels and Nahziah Carter both added 15 points and Quade Green finished with 14.

It was a back-and-forth game where Gonzaga never trailed after falling behind 5-4, but the lead never got bigger than nine. But every time Washington made a run, the Bulldogs had an answer.

Gonzaga took its biggest lead at 65-56 with 8:35 left when Drew Timme tipped in Woolridge’s miss. It seemed a substantial advantage after the teams spent the first 30-plus minutes never separated by more than a couple of points.

But Washington responded with a pair of free throws from Stewart and off a turnover a floater from Carter to pull back within 65-60 and force a Gonzaga timeout. Tillie stemmed the momentum with a tough basket, but Hameir Wright answered with a 3 for Washington and the lead was 67-63 with 7 minutes left.