The Washington Huskies Senior Night at historic Hec Ed had all the ingredients for a storybook ending. The Washington Huskies hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers fans ready to celebrate a transformative UW senior class on Senior Night.
Instead, the Dawgs walked off the floor stunned, losing 65-66 after a late three-pointer from Nebraska star guard Britt Prince silenced the home crowd.
Inside the Numbers: Dominating Paint, Giveaways, Shooting Blanks
Despite owning the backboards and dominating the paint, UW could not outrun its own shooting woes and turnovers.
The Huskers capitalized on nearly every Washington mistake, turning 17 Husky giveaways into 19 points. That disparity, more than any one shot, defined a game the Dawgs had within reach multiple times.
From a statistical standpoint, this game should have decided by the Huskies in the paint.
The Huskies out-rebounded Nebraska 46–28, including 17 offensive boards, and pummeled the Cornhuskers inside with a 42–32 edge in points in the paint and a 17–5 advantage in second-chance points.
McGaughy (14 points, nine rebounds) and Howell (13 points, 10 rebounds) anchored a frontcourt that consistently won position and battled on every possession.
However, the perimeter battle went decisively to Nebraska.
The Huskers shot 42.6% from the field and 31% from three.
Meanwhile, the Dawgs managed just 39.7% overall and a frigid 19.5% from deep (5-of-26).
More damaging, UW’s 17 turnovers led to 19 Nebraska points, while Husker giveaways (11) produced just six points for Washington. In a one‑point game, that 13‑point turnover differential essentially became the margin.
STARTING FIVE
1st Quarter – Slow Start, Missed Perimeter Chances
The first period set an unfortunate early tone that the Huskies struggled to fully shake the remainder of the game.
The Huskies shot just 35.3% from the field in the first quarter and went 0% from three, never finding rhythm on the perimeter. While they got touches for multiple players, no one fully took command early, and UW’s offense looked more tentative than aggressive.
Nebraska, by contrast, struck first with confidence.
The Cornhuskers’ early nine‑point lead in the period foreshadowed the pressure UW would face all afternoon to play from behind.
The Huskers hit 47.1% from the field and 25% from deep, using crisp ball movement and pace to jump ahead 17–12 after one.
2nd Quarter – Dawgs Chip Away and Find a Groove
In the second quarter, Washington began to look more like the team that has battled its way into NCAA Tournament contention.
The Dawgs shot a much-improved 44.4% overall and 33.3% from three-point range.
Avery Howell ignited the rally with six points in the period, while Hannah Stines added five. They steadied the offense, working inside-out and finally making Nebraska’s defense shift and scramble.
Even so, Nebraska shot 41.2% from the floor in the quarter and again hit 25% from deep.
The Huskers stayed a step ahead behind Prince’s playmaking and Amiah Hargrove’s assertiveness, UW trailed 32-35 heading into halftime.
The first-half numbers told a clear story: Washington kept pace in field goals but trailed 10–2 in points off turnovers, already digging themselves a statistical hole that would loom large.
3rd Quarter – Washington Seizes Control Temporarily
Coming out of halftime, the Huskies finally played to their physical strengths.
Washington shot 47.1% in the third quarter, while clamping down defensively and holding Nebraska to 30.8% from the field.
Although UW’s three-point shooting remained very poor at 13.3%, the Dawgs leaned into their advantage in the paint and on the glass, turning misses into second-chance opportunities.
This was Sayvia Sellers’ quarter. The national player-of-the-year candidate poured in seven points in the frame, sparking the Huskies to a 19–12 scoring advantage in the period.
Contributions from Elle Ladine (4 points), Howell (2 points), Hannah Stines( 2 points), Yulia Grabovskaia (2 points) and freshman Brynn McGaughy (2 points) underscored Washington’s depth and balance when the offense flows. It appeared momentum clearly belonged to UW holding a51–47 lead heading into the fourth.
4th Quarter – Momentum Lost, Mistakes Cost
The final 10 minutes, however, flipped UW’s momentum on its head.
Washington’s offense cooled to a paltry 31.3% shooting overall and just 20% from three-point range in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Huskers shot 50% from the field and 50% from three in the quarter.
Despite Sellers’ five points and McGaughy’s four in the period, UW’s execution slipped at the exact wrong time.
The Huskies led 63–57 with 4:16 to play, appearing poised to close out a gritty win on Washington Senior Night.
Then a 6–0 Huskers’ scoring burst, powered by back-to-back Hargrove layups and crucial free throws from Prince, erased Washington’s lead and tied the game at 63.
Sellers briefly rescued UW with a tough driving layup at 16.5 seconds to put the Dawgs up 65–63. But out of timeouts, the Cornhuskers cleared out, and Husker guard Prince hit a step-back dagger three over Sellers with seven seconds left.
Three frantic point-blank looks at the rim for UW in the closing seconds would not fall and the Huskies fell 65-66 to the Huskers.
UW Players of the Game: A Senior Class That Changed the Program
The loss does not erase what Washington Senior Night represented. The celebration of seniors Elle Ladine, Hannah Stines, Teagan Brown, Shayla Gillmer, and Yulia Grabovskaia was a testament to how far the Huskies have come in four years. This group helped drag UW back into the national conversation, returning the program to the NCAA Tournament and collecting marquee wins over multiple NET Top‑15 opponents.
