Put into the proper context, it's understandable why Lorenzo Romar was so willing to place what C.J. Wilcox accomplished in such high regard.
A redshirt freshman, in a game Washington absolutely needed with its postseason hopes becoming more tenuous, awakened the Huskies' slumbering offense all by himself.
Saying Wilcox carried the Huskies for the final 20 minutes would be putting it too mildly.
"That's a performance I'll never forget," Romar said. "To me, that's not just a freshman but one of the greatest performances in the history of the program. ... You go back and look at how many players here at this school have scored 24 points in a half when it wasn't a 50-point blowout but a meaningful game like this. I don't think there would be many."
Scoreless at halftime, Wilcox scored all of his career-high 24 points in the second half, and Washington overcame an off night from leading scorer Isaiah Thomas to beat UCLA 70-63 on Thursday night.
Wilcox didn't just provide the perimeter punch his teammates have been raving about since he first arrived on campus. He was Washington's offense for big stretches of the second half with Thomas and post Matthew Bryan-Amaning unable to get going.
Wilcox scored 15 of Washington's first 18 points to start the second half. He was also the catalyst of a final seven-point spurt, part of a larger 21-10 run to close the game, that finally pushed the Huskies clear of the Bruins.
He made 7 of 10 shots total, including 6 of 7 in the second half. Four of those were 3-pointers, and all of them were crucial.
"We just felt like our backs were against the wall," Wilcox said. "We had to come out here and get it rolling because we can't lose. We want to win out, and that's what we're trying to do."
Washington (20-9, 11-6 Pac-10) put itself in the position of having its postseason destiny debated by dropping consecutive conference games at Arizona and at home last Sunday night to rival Washington State. The 80-69 loss to the Cougars brought the Huskies' NCAA tournament validity into question for the first time.
Washington's response was exactly what Romar wanted to see, even if the Huskies had to endure another ugly first half offensively and needed all of Wilcox's big shots to hold off the Bruins. Mostly, he was pleased that after giving up 56 second-half points to the Cougars, Washington rediscovered its defensive intensity.
"Our guys, I thought, dug in and played with so much heart," Romar said.
UCLA's Jerime Anderson tried to match Wilcox, hitting four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, all in the second half. But the Bruins (21-9, 12-5) fell out of a tie for first place with Arizona in the conference race.
UCLA had won eight of nine, its only loss an overtime setback at California. With Arizona's win over Oregon State on Thursday night, the Bruins need a win over Washington State on Saturday and an Arizona loss to Oregon to claim a share of the conference crown.
"It's just a momentary step back," UCLA's Joshua Smith said. "We're a good team, they're a good team. We didn't lose to a bad team. We just have to pull together and go to Pullman."
That crown was supposed to be Washington's. The Huskies were picked as the conference favorite at the start of the season but entered the final weekend with no chance at the regular-season title.
Even so, there might not be a more satisfying win on the Huskies' resume. Thomas, Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday - Washington's top three scorers - combined for just 21 points and made 7 of 31 shots.
Enter Wilcox. He scored the first five points of the second half, had 15 with 10:45 left and, as if Wilcox needed a capper to his night, he added a fall-away 19-footer while being fouled and with one second on the shot clock. The three-point play with 2:38 left gave the Huskies a six-point lead.
Washington scored 14 straight points as part of its final charge, leaving the Bruins gasping for a breather. Washington won its seventh straight over UCLA in Seattle and swept the Bruins for just the third time in school history.
"I think they were getting tired," Holiday said. "They didn't have any timeouts to call down the stretch."
Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins and Smith, their freshman bruiser, had 12 points and 16 rebounds off the bench in his return to the Seattle area.
But UCLA coach Ben Howland burned through all of his timeouts and had none remaining in the closing minutes when the Huskies charged ahead, and the Bruins could not stop the momentum. Howland used UCLA's final timeout with 12:57 left after Wilcox scored five straight points and Washington moved in front 36-31.
A redshirt freshman, in a game Washington absolutely needed with its postseason hopes becoming more tenuous, awakened the Huskies' slumbering offense all by himself.
Saying Wilcox carried the Huskies for the final 20 minutes would be putting it too mildly.
"That's a performance I'll never forget," Romar said. "To me, that's not just a freshman but one of the greatest performances in the history of the program. ... You go back and look at how many players here at this school have scored 24 points in a half when it wasn't a 50-point blowout but a meaningful game like this. I don't think there would be many."
Scoreless at halftime, Wilcox scored all of his career-high 24 points in the second half, and Washington overcame an off night from leading scorer Isaiah Thomas to beat UCLA 70-63 on Thursday night.
Wilcox didn't just provide the perimeter punch his teammates have been raving about since he first arrived on campus. He was Washington's offense for big stretches of the second half with Thomas and post Matthew Bryan-Amaning unable to get going.
Wilcox scored 15 of Washington's first 18 points to start the second half. He was also the catalyst of a final seven-point spurt, part of a larger 21-10 run to close the game, that finally pushed the Huskies clear of the Bruins.
He made 7 of 10 shots total, including 6 of 7 in the second half. Four of those were 3-pointers, and all of them were crucial.
"We just felt like our backs were against the wall," Wilcox said. "We had to come out here and get it rolling because we can't lose. We want to win out, and that's what we're trying to do."
Washington (20-9, 11-6 Pac-10) put itself in the position of having its postseason destiny debated by dropping consecutive conference games at Arizona and at home last Sunday night to rival Washington State. The 80-69 loss to the Cougars brought the Huskies' NCAA tournament validity into question for the first time.
Washington's response was exactly what Romar wanted to see, even if the Huskies had to endure another ugly first half offensively and needed all of Wilcox's big shots to hold off the Bruins. Mostly, he was pleased that after giving up 56 second-half points to the Cougars, Washington rediscovered its defensive intensity.
"Our guys, I thought, dug in and played with so much heart," Romar said.
UCLA's Jerime Anderson tried to match Wilcox, hitting four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, all in the second half. But the Bruins (21-9, 12-5) fell out of a tie for first place with Arizona in the conference race.
UCLA had won eight of nine, its only loss an overtime setback at California. With Arizona's win over Oregon State on Thursday night, the Bruins need a win over Washington State on Saturday and an Arizona loss to Oregon to claim a share of the conference crown.
"It's just a momentary step back," UCLA's Joshua Smith said. "We're a good team, they're a good team. We didn't lose to a bad team. We just have to pull together and go to Pullman."
That crown was supposed to be Washington's. The Huskies were picked as the conference favorite at the start of the season but entered the final weekend with no chance at the regular-season title.
Even so, there might not be a more satisfying win on the Huskies' resume. Thomas, Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday - Washington's top three scorers - combined for just 21 points and made 7 of 31 shots.
Enter Wilcox. He scored the first five points of the second half, had 15 with 10:45 left and, as if Wilcox needed a capper to his night, he added a fall-away 19-footer while being fouled and with one second on the shot clock. The three-point play with 2:38 left gave the Huskies a six-point lead.
Washington scored 14 straight points as part of its final charge, leaving the Bruins gasping for a breather. Washington won its seventh straight over UCLA in Seattle and swept the Bruins for just the third time in school history.
"I think they were getting tired," Holiday said. "They didn't have any timeouts to call down the stretch."
Malcolm Lee added 13 points for the Bruins and Smith, their freshman bruiser, had 12 points and 16 rebounds off the bench in his return to the Seattle area.
But UCLA coach Ben Howland burned through all of his timeouts and had none remaining in the closing minutes when the Huskies charged ahead, and the Bruins could not stop the momentum. Howland used UCLA's final timeout with 12:57 left after Wilcox scored five straight points and Washington moved in front 36-31.
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