University of Washington
Clemson
Huskies Edge Clemson In Overtime
December 22, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2000
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (AP) -Michael Johnson gave his Washington coaches and teammates an early Christmas present Friday.
The senior guard hit an eight-foot jump shot in the lane as the overtime buzzer sounded, lifting Washington to a 77-76 victory over Clemson (7-4) in the final round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic at the Guerra Sports Complex.
Johnson's shot gave the Huskies (6-4) the third-place trophy in the eight-team tournament. A pair of ranked teams, No. 17 Alabama and No. 22 Cincinnati participated in the championship game.
"My whole idea was to go to the hole. The first shot wasn't there so I stopped, turned around and shot a jumper," Johnson explained. "When I got into the lane I saw the guy jump and I knew I had to do a turn-around and it was going to be an easy eight footer. I've done it a hundred times so I just wanted to stay calm."
Washington coach Bob Bender designed the play, the second time he's called Johnson's number for a game-winning attempt.
"Michael had a shot at the end of our game against USC last year and just missed. We wanted to give him another opportunity and he came through," said Bender.
A product of Seattle's Ballard High School, Johnson finished with 12 points despite going scoreless in the first half. He tallied eight second-half points, including a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left in regulation that put UW ahead 69-68.
Will Solomon answered with a layin at 0:29 to put Clemson ahead 70-69. Husky sophomore Ben Coffee was fouled on the ensuing possession and, after a Tiger timeout, converted the second of two free throws to forge a 70-70 tie and force overtime.
Center Adam Allenspach accounted for Clemson's final four overtime points, the last coming on two free throws with 2:03 left in the game that gave the Tigers a 76-73 edge.
Washington's Thalo Green hit a running jumper at 1:39 and teammate Will Perkins gathered the rebound after three Tiger misses to set up Johnson's game-winner.
Green earned all-tournament honors, scoring 18 points for the Huskies on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Allenspach finished with 17 points for Clemson.
Perkins registered his fifth double-double of the season, amassing 20 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes despite suffering from a virus. No UW player had a double-double game last season.
"I didn't really feel tired or rusty, but there was a lot of pain in my chest," said Perkins who sat out Thursday's game. " Once I get going it's okay, but when I sit down it starts hurting again.
The Huskies scored the game's opening eight points and led for most of the first half before settling on a 35-32 halftime advantage.
Washington's lead grew to as many as 13 points in the second half, a margin that was erased by a 20-6 Tiger run.
Solomon scored 15 of his 26 points during the seven-minute surge that resulted in a 63-62 Clemson lead with 4:45 left in regulation.
Guarding Solomon, a first-team All-Atlantic Coast guard, for much of the night was Johnson.
"When you play against a guy like that you have to do the best you can," Johnson said. "I was doing a good job on him in the first half, but I kind of got a little tired in the second half and he got off a little."
Washington was without the services of senior forward Greg Clark who started the previous nine games. Clark sprained his right ankle during the second half on Thursday and will be sidelined for at least one week.
The Huskies return to their respective homes Saturday for the holiday break. They finished a 10-day, 7,658-mile road trip with three wins in four games. Washington beat Florida International 63-61 on Dec. 16 before traveling to Puerto Rico. UW won a first-round tournament game 67-47 over host American University on Wednesday before falling to undefeated Alabama 69-60 on Thursday.
"This was a very good win for our program, a win that finishes a successful road trip," Bender remarked. "We are in position to finish off the non-conference part of our schedule with an 8-4 record and take momentum into the Pac-10 season."
Washington plays its final two non-conference games at home in Bank of America Arena, hosting UC Irvine on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. and San Diego on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. The Huskies begin Pacific-10 Conference play at UCLA on Jan. 4.
