You can breathe now, Husky fans. It's over.

It wasn't pretty. It certainly wasn't easy to listen to on the radio. But it was a win. Just as Arizona State gave the Dawgs their first conference win, the Sun Devils also gave Washington its first road win of the year.

Too bad the Huskies aren't scheduled to play ASU again.

If there was any game that Washington needed to win, this was it. And no matter how frustrating it was at the end, they did it. They won.

Granted, ASU looks bad on paper, dreadful to be fair; nevertheless, this was a step forward for Washington's young team. This road win gives the Huskies renewed confidence and momentum going into their game at Arizona on Saturday.

It confirms the hard work they put in every day and the reassures them of their own abilities.

Sure, the second half was more frustrating than a zit on prom night. But Washington's leaders made the plays at the end to win it. Plus, in the first half, we saw how good the Huskies can be.

The Dawgs ran out to a 40-16 lead early in the game and finished the opening half up 23 points in one of the best halves of the season. After a nearly flawless 20 minutes — highlighted by a superior defensive effort — a letdown was unavoidable.

Mistakes, missed shots and poor decisions plagued a miserable final 20 minutes. Another collapse seemed imminent, but this time Washington made the plays and found points to win.

A temper tantrum from ASU coach Herb Sendek sure made things easier. The four free throws resulting from the coach's two technical fouls represented nearly 20 percent of the Huskies' scoring in the second half.

Washington is just taking baby steps in its progression. Learning to squeeze the life out of a beaten team is a learned ability. We should know — experienced teams like Gonzaga, UCLA and WSU all did it to us.

Besides 23-point leads are there so you can take your opponents' best shot and still have the lead. That's what they're for, and that's what happened last night.

The Huskies are slowly starting to develop the winning mentality that fans have been used to the past couple seasons.

Now awaits the true test.

Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., Washington has its chance for revenge against a demoralized Wildcat team.

Arizona lost in embarrassing fashion to North Carolina last week, and yesterday the Cougars swept the Wildcats for the first time ever.

After those two body shots, the Huskies have a perfect opportunity for the knockout.

A win on Saturday will only strengthen that dim light at the end of the tunnel for the Huskies. A win would tie Washington with Arizona in the conference standings — believe it or not.

What better way to start the second half of the conference season than with two wins on the road?

It's time the Dawgs reminded the conference not to forget about them. It's time to atone for the underachievement of the first half. The season is judged by how you end, how you better yourselves and how your team improves until the last buzzer sounds.

And yesterday was the first step in a late-season run for redemption.

Reach columnist Joshua Mayers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.