9:03 pm | March 29, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
After missing the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament with a sprained foot, Kentucky star forward PJ Washington helped punch the Wildcats’ ticket to the Elite Eight with a 62-58 victory over Houston on Friday night.
Washington finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and had a crucial block on a Corey Davis Jr. layup attempt that would have given the Cougars a one-point lead with 35 seconds left.
“We don’t win today if [Washington] doesn’t play today,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game. “He did not go through the shootaround today. His foot was bothering him, and I didn’t know if he was playing. I asked him right before ‘are you going to be able to go?’ and he said ‘I’m going.”’
Washington checked into the game with 15:41 left in the first half and scored the first time he touched the ball, on an assist from Tyler Herro.
The 6-foot-8 sophomore has been out since he sprained his foot against Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinals.
Washington was in a cast until Tuesday and did some jogging and free throw shooting during Thursday’s practice open to the media.