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Huskies prevail as Wilcox regains shooting touch

Washington’s Desmond Simmons (30) and Oregon State’s Eric Moreland vie for a rebound during first-half action on Saturday in Seattle. (Associated Press)
Associated Press
Washington’s Desmond Simmons (30) and Oregon State’s Eric Moreland vie for a rebound during first-half action on Saturday in Seattle. (Associated Press)

SEATTLE – C.J. Wilcox broke out of a shooting slump with 24 points, Shawn Kemp Jr., added all 10 of his points in the second half, and Washington pulled away late for a 72-62 win over Oregon State on Saturday night.

The Huskies (14-12, 6-7 Pac-12) had lost three straight and dropped seven of eight overall, coinciding with Wilcox’s slump. The Huskies’ leading scorer had scored more than 20 points just once in the previous eight games.

He finally reached that plateau again on Saturday by hitting 7 of 14 shots. Wilcox has been bothered by a left foot injury that has limited his practice time.

Kemp’s points gave Washington an inside presence, but just as important was the season-high eight points and seven rebounds off the bench by Jernard Jarreau.

Roberto Nelson led Oregon State (13-13, 3-10) with 19 points. Joe Burton added 10 points but was shut out in the second half.

Wilcox came in averaging 17.3 points on the season, but he shot just 35 percent and averaged 13 points over the previous eight games.

But he hit his first two shots, a sign that he was in for a far more productive night offensively. During his slump, the only time Wilcox topped 20 points was in a loss to the Beavers on Jan. 23.

Oregon State was aiming for its first sweep of Washington since 2003, but Nelson continued to struggle against the Huskies. He was just 3 of 14 shooting when the teams played last month and 3 of 16 on Saturday, with most of his points coming at the free-throw line.