SEATTLE – Shawn Kemp Jr. scored 18 points and the Washington Huskies used a balanced attack to hold off Pacific for a 76-69 victory in the first game of the Marv Harshman Classic at Key Arena Sunday night.
Kemp made seven of 11 from the floor and all four of his free throws. Nigel Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews each added 17 points.
T.J. Wallace led the Tigers (2-2) with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies (3-0) broke away quickly from its 36-29 lead at intermission with a 15-7 run and held a 51-36 lead with under 14 minutes left. The Tigers made just one basket in five attempts over the first six minutes of the half.
The Tigers whittled the lead to 66-59 on a fast-break layin by Dulani Robinson at 3:01. Pacific's Sami Eleraky followed with a tip-in with 1:40 left for a five-point deficit, 66-61.
Then Donaven Dorsey, who scored just seven points, followed with a critical three-pointer with 1:10 left and the Huskies rode the lead to the victory.
The Huskies managed its seven-point halftime edge - which it never yielded - with a sprint over the final 100 seconds. Kemp, who had a team-high 10 points by half, tipped in a rebound to make it 32-28 with 1:40 left. Andrews broke away for successive fast-break layins and the Huskies commanded a 36-29 lead.
UW now holds a 7-1 all-time advantage over Pacific with seven straight victories.
The event is played in memory of Harshman, who won 635 games while coaching for three different Washington schools, including his final position at UW (1971-85).
The second game features Seattle University (1-1) against Montana (0-2).
TIP IN
Washington: C. Robert Upshaw, who tied the school's single-game blocks record in each of his first two career games at UW, did not have a block against Pacific.
Pacific: The Tigers have one of the youngest rosters in the country, with just one senior, five freshman and six sophomores. Coach Ron Verlin not only has to mix in the youth but also players from five different countries, U.S., Brazil, Greece, Germany and Denmark.
UP NEXT
Washington faces off against San Jose State Thursday at the John Wooden Classic.
Pacific goes against host Alaska-Anchorage Wednesday in the Great Alaska Shootout.
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