At first there were 64 teams pursuing a Women's National Invitation Tournament championship title. Now there are eight.
The University of Washington women's basketball team joined that elite eight group Tuesday night, outlasting Oregon State 55-49 at Slats Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
The Huskies notched their 20th win of the season, a feat not matched by a UW team since 2003, and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals this weekend. They will play the winner of Thursday's Texas Tech (21-13)-San Diego (24-8) matchup at Lubbock, Tex.
Former Chief Sealth all-state player Regina Rogers, who scored a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, took the game over midway through the second half.
With OSU leading 36-35 in a fierce defensive battle, Rogers, a 6-foot-3 senior center, scored eight straight points on three field goals from close range and two free throws to give the Huskies 43-36 advantage with 8:42 remaining. One of her buckets came off a beautiful inbounds feed from freshman guard Jazmine Davis.
The Beavers (20-13) narrowed the gap to 48-45 with four minutes remaining, only to see senior 6-foot-2 forward Mollie Williams score seven straight points to put the game out of reach. She drained a 15-foot jumper and then sank 5-of-6 clutch free throws when OSU was forced to foul.
The Huskies (20-13) shot only 33 percent from the field (18-54) but outrebounded OSU 41-34, 17 of them coming off the offensive boards and second-chance scoring opportunities.
"To play hard, to get 20 wins and to get it (20th win) in this tournament, is really special to our seniors," Husky coach John McGuff told KKNW 1150-AM radio after the game. "The younger players are getting a sense of what it's like to play in March where you either win or go home. Hopefully there's more (wins) of that in us."
Senior forward Charmaine Barlow, another former Chief Sealth standout, scored two points and collected two rebounds in 16 minutes of playing time. Ex-Kennedy Catholic star, and West Seattle resident, Aminah Williams recorded one assist in 11 minutes of action. Williams' pass from the baseline found Mollie Williams open on the perimeter for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, giving the Huskies a 35-34 lead.
