Seniors go out in style

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior point guard Jason Terry (31) makes contact with sophomore UCLA point guard Baron Davis (5) while trying to make a fast break during Saturday's game. Terry put up 26 points during the Wildcats' 87-70 win over UCLA.

It wasn't Jason Terry, the senior playing his final game after being named the Pacific 10 Conference's player of the year, nor was it senior center A.J. Bramlett or even senior reserve guard Jason Stewart.It was junior forward Eugene Edgerson.

"At the end I started crying, yeah," he said. "I'm gonna miss those guys. They were like big brothers to me."

Terry, Bramlett and Stewart bid farewell to the fans at McKale in a postgame ceremony Saturday afternoon following Arizona's 87-70 thrashing of UCLA.

Terry closed out his career as UA's all-time leader in steals with 241 and, as well led the Wildcats in scoring with 26 points against the Bruins. Terry said it didn't feel like his last game at McKale.

"I was ready to go again," he said. "I wasn't all that overcome (with emotion), but Gene was shedding tears and he almost made me choke up."

Terry had by far the largest contingent of family members at the postgame ceremony, but he admitted it wasn't as many as he could have brought.

"I had a lot of people out there," he said. "If there would have been any more, it would have been a circus."

Bramlett led the Wildcats with 10 rebounds while scoring 14 points, despite getting in foul trouble midway through the second half.

"This was the best way that I can think of to go out and end my career," he said. "The freshmen really stepped up tonight and made a big difference."

Freshman forward Michael Wright said the pressure was on him and his fellow freshmen to help seal the win for the three seniors.

"We knew this was A.J., J.T. and Jason Stewart's last game," he said. "We did not want to lose the game for them."

Edgerson said he personally was prepared to do anything it took to ensure a final win for the seniors.

"I didn't want them to lose," he said. "I told them (the freshmen) that and everybody just fed from me. My energy was up and so was their (energy)."

Stewart, who took on the role of the team's spiritual leader this year, leading the postgame prayer at center court, said he was content in playing only the final minute.

"I'm not in the business of winning basketball games," he said. "That's A.J. and J.T.'s job."

Once the NCAA Tournament is over, Terry and Bramlett will turn their attention to the NBA and moving on to the next level. Stewart, on the other hand, knows his basketball career is over.

"I'm going to go to grad school, and I'm a few months away from being a licensed minister," he said. "And I've got to get a job to pay off all those student loans."

Chris Jackson can be reached at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.