BOULDER, Colo. – Jaylen Nowell scored seven of his 19 points down the stretch to help Washington hold off Colorado 77-70 on Saturday night.
David Crisp added 16 points for Washington (12-4, 3-0 Pac-12), which has won five consecutive games.
The Buffaloes (10-6, 1-3) lost their leading scorer and spark when guard McKinley Wright IV left the game with 8:04 left in the first half. Wright was hit on the left shoulder in the lane and immediately grabbed at the joint. He was looked at by the medical staff and then helped to the locker room. He did not return to the game or the bench.
D’Shawn Schwartz picked up the slack with 22 points, including four 3-pointers – both career highs. Tyler Bey had 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Huskies led 15 early in the second half and then had to withstand a big Colorado rally. The Buffaloes used a 9-0 run, with Schwartz scoring the first seven, to get 63-62 with 7:14 left.
Nowell answered with a layup as he and Matisse Thybulle combined to score 13 of Washington’s final 14 points. Thybulle was fouled on a 3-point shot and hit all three free throws and, after Daylen Kountz had his layup blocked on the other end, Nowell hit a jumper in the lane with 2:42 left to give the Huskies an eight-point lead.
Washington: The Huskies survived in the thin air, beating Utah and Colorado for their first Pac-12 road sweep in six years. Washington has a chance to build on that with home games against Stanford and Cal over the next seven days.
Colorado: Wright going out is a big blow to the Buffaloes. He leads the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and also averages 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds and losing his production is a serious void on a team trying to get into NCAA Tournament position.
Washington: Hosts Stanford on Thursday.
Colorado: At Utah on Jan. 20.
