SEATTLE – C.J. Wilcox scored 27 to lead the Washington Huskies to a 66-61 victory over Saint Louis University Wednesday night in Seattle. The Billikens had no answer for Wilcox, who hit 11 of 13 shots from the field, including four of five from behind the arc.
Cody Ellis continued to rack up the treys, hitting four 3-pointers en route to a 14-point performance. The senior forward has hit 11 shots from long range over the last three games, pushing his season total 13.
Washington led by as many as 11 late in the second half, but the Billikens relied on shots from long range to chip away at the deficit. Mike McCall Jr. pushed the score to 65-59 with his third 3-pointer of the night with 50 seconds left.
Jernard Jerreau missed the front end of a one-and-one on the ensuing possession, and Saint Louis capitalized, working the ball inside to Rob Loe for an easy layup to make it a two-possession game.
That would be as close as the Billikens would get, however, as Desmond Simmons managed to pull in the rebound off a missed free throw from Andrew Andrews to ice the Washington victory.
It was a rather top-heavy performance for the Huskies, who had zero points off the bench. Besides Wilcox, Abdul Gaddy (16) and Aziz N’Diaye (14) , the Huskies did not offer much in terms of scoring depth, with the rest of the team accounting for just nine total points.
Rob Loe (13) and McCall (11) also finished in double figures for the Billikens, who hit 25 of 27 shots from the field, but shot just three free throws, two of which came after an early technical foul was called against Washington coach Lorenzo Romar. SLU was out-rebounded 28-25 and committed 13 turnovers, many of which came at key points during the second half.
SLU controlled much of the first half, but inconsistent shooting allowed the Huskies to keep it close. Gaddy swung momentum Washington’s way with a game-tying 3-point jumper as time expired in the first half. The Huskies carried that energy into the second half, seizing control of the game less than three minutes in.
The Billikens will look to rebound Sunday afternoon against Valparaiso. Tip-off from Chaifetz Arena is slated for 3:30 pm.
