Wilcox’s strong second half powers Huskies

Senior C.J. Wilcox scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half, leading Washington to an 83-79 nonconference win over Montana on Tuesday night in Seattle.

The Huskies (3-3) nearly squandered an eight-point lead over the final 1 minute, 14 seconds, as Montana scored seven unanswered points in a span of 63 seconds, but Montana’s Chris Kemp missed the potential tying free throw with 11.2 seconds left.

Wilcox hit a pair of free throws on the other end to put Washington ahead by three. The Huskies intentionally fouled with 3.5 seconds left and effectively clinched the win when Montana’s Keron DeShields missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Wilcox went 5 for 8 on 3-pointers, while freshman Nigel Williams-Goss added 20 points as the Huskies snapped a two-game losing streak.

Montana’s Jordan Gregory had a career-high 27 points behind 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, while DeShields scored 20. Gregory’s six 3-pointers were also a career high.

The Grizzlies (1-3) shot 59.6 percent from the field but squandered a six-point halftime lead while going 16 for 31 in the second half. They were outrebounded 34-14 for the game.

Washington needed almost 27 minutes before taking its first lead, having finally pulled ahead 54-53 on a Mike Anderson free throw with 13:02 left. Wilcox followed that with a pair of 3-pointers while scoring 10 points in a span of just more than 4 minutes, helping open up a 64-59 lead for Washington.

Wilcox’s five 3-pointers put him within nine of the school career record. He is averaging a team-high 23.8 points per game.

Treasure Valley 70, North Idaho 69: Sophomore John Fletcher drove the baseline and hit a layup during the closing seconds to give the host Chukars (2-1) a nonconference win over the Cardinals (6-2).

NIC took a 69-68 lead with 11 seconds left after trailing by 15 points late in the second half.

Fletcher scored 20 points, hitting 8 of 13 field goals, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers.

Braxton Tucker led NIC with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Bryce Leavitt added 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals.