Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — George King's teammates razzed him about having a blank stare on his face as he let go of a last-gasp, long-range jumper.
Blank stare? Try picture of calm in a chaotic moment.
King scored 21 points, none bigger than his buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime, and grabbed a pivotal rebound late in the second OT to help Colorado hold off Washington State 88-81 on Thursday night.
As he started to talk about his clutch jumper, Wesley Gordon interrupted with a question: "Why were you so lackadaisical on that last shot?" he asked.
"People keep saying that. Was it really? I'm going to look at it," King said.
It's the second time in his life he's hit a shot like that at the buzzer. His last one was in seventh grade. This one meant a little more.
"That was a big-time win for us. We needed it," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "It's just hard to win a game, especially in February. You take any win, put it in your pocket and move on."
It was a painful loss for Washington State, especially coach Ernie Kent. Late in the game, Kent was hit in the ear by something thrown from the stands.
"It looked like a golf ball to me. It whizzed by and nicked the corner of my head," Kent said. "They tell me they got the young man."
Xavier Talton sealed the win with four straight free throws over the last 30 seconds, sending the Cougars to their 10th straight loss.
The Buffaloes (18-7, 7-5 Pac-12) were without big man Josh Scott, who sprained his ankle last weekend. With Scott went a team-leading 16.7 points and opened up things for Washington State (9-15, 1-11) in the paint.
Que Johnson scored a career-high 25 points and had the Cougars on the verge of their first road win of the season, converting a go-ahead three-point play with 22.4 seconds left in the first OT. After King hit one of two free throws, Johnson was fouled and had a chance to close out the game at the line. He hit one of two to make it 78-75 and give the Buffaloes an opening — and King his moment.
"I missed a free throw. He made a tough shot," Johnson said. "Credit to him credit and to Colorado — they didn't stop fighting even when we had the lead in overtime."
King's fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer electrified the crowd and deflated the Cougars. He needed every inch of his 6-foot-6 frame, too, to get the shot over the 6-10 Josh Hawkinson.
"That's the reason I had to fade a little bit," King explained. "That was my biggest point, get it to the rim, give my team a chance for another overtime."
Hawkinson finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season. That ties Jim McKean (1967) for second-most in Washington State history for a season. The record belongs to Hawkinson, who had 20 last season.
In the second overtime, Gordon hit a layup with 2:05 remaining and the Buffaloes never trailed again. Washington State had a chance to tie the game late, but Ike Iroegbu missed a jumper and King grabbed the rebound. Colorado outscored Washington State 10-3 in the second OT.
With no Scott in the middle, the Cougars weren't afraid to go into the paint. That's how they worked their way back into the game after trailing by 10 early in the second half.
"It was definitely in our favor, especially with a guy like Josh Scott. He's one of the best players in the league," Johnson said. "Without him, it created somewhat of an advantage for us."
SCOTT UPDATE
Boyle isn't sure when Scott's ankle will be healed enough to take the floor.
"Day-to-day," Boyle said. "Big guys take a little longer."
FLYING OBJECTS
Kent on being hit by an object: "I thought it was an incredible college basketball game — all until someone threw something out of the stands. That wasn't right because it was a really, really good game up until that point."
___
TIP-INS
Washington State: G Charles Callison missed the game with a concussion. He's averaging eight points. ... Brett Boese added 13 points. ... Washington State out-rebounded Colorado 40-36.
Colorado: The Buffs are 14-0 this season when wearing their white uniforms. ... Talton finished with 13 points. ... Wesley Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
___
UP NEXT
Washington State: At Utah on Sunday.
Colorado: Host Washington on Saturday.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
