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C.J. Wilcox Scores 24 in Victory over Bruins

When it’s your night, it’s simply just your night - that was the story for Washington freshman C.J. Wilcox, who scored all of his 24 points in the second half to secure a necessary victory for the Huskiers over the UCLA Bruins last night at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Wilcox came alive early in the half, hitting an Isaiah Thomas-assisted 3-pointer just seconds after halftime.  Making four of seven shots behind the arc, the redshirt freshman picked up the offensive void left by the team's leading scorer, Thomas, who scored his first points with just 3:28 remaining in the game. Averaging nearly 17 points a game, Thomas had an extremely slow offensive night finishing with nine points and just three assists, one of his worst performances of the season.

Rebounding from their disappointing loss Sunday evening to the Washington State Cougars, the Huskies emerged with much more energy than in past weeks, energy that paid off for them in a moment of desperation.  Part of that spark may have come from Scott Suggs, who suited up for the first time since spraining his MCL in the first three minutes against Arizona State two weeks ago. Improving the Huskies' depth, Suggs added yet another scoring threat for this struggling yet strong Washington offense. In his 18 minutes last night, Suggs added four points, three assists and two key steals for Washington.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning fouled out with 1:29 remaining in the game for Washington, but not before he doing damage in the low post. The Washington big man headed to the bench with 13 rebounds and did his job to help neutralize the power of UCLA freshman pivot Joshua Smith. The 7-foot, 305-pound Washington native saw 31 minutes against the Huskies during which he recorded his fifth double-double.

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While Wilcox provided a kick to the dreary Washington offense, Jermine Anderson did his best to awaken the offense for the Bruins. Anderson more than tripled his season scoring average against the Huskies scoring 16 points in his 25 minutes. The junior guard provided a necessary burst to counter the scoring presence of Wilcox, and he did it well, knocking down four of six shots behind the arc.

The Huskies and the Bruins were neck-and-neck before Thomas scored his first points after which Washington went on a 9-0 run, locking up the victory with just under two minutes to play.  For the Huskies, last night's victory all but locked them in as the third-place team in the Pac-10 for the 2011 regular season. UW solidified its position comfortably within the NCAA Tournament field. For the Bruins, they still have a chance at a piece of the Pac-10 conference title with a victory over Washington State this upcoming Saturday, coupled with an Arizona loss to Oregon.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer