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PULLMAN, Wash. — Straightening Jerryd Bayless out was the easy part for Kevin O'Neill.

All it took was an exchange of heated words between the Arizona interim head coach and his do-everything freshman, and the equally driven Bayless came through with 20 points in the second half of the Arizona Wildcats' 65-55 win at Washington State on Saturday.

Fire met fire. It worked.

"He got into me a little bit, too," O'Neill said. It was "back and forth a little bit."

But how Chase Budinger dug up 12 points in the first nine minutes, adding critical scoring when Bayless was struggling under WSU's defensive pressure, was a little more of a mystery. Budinger had shot just 31 percent from the field over the previous five games.

It just happened. Maybe it will happen more often, maybe not.

O'Neill doesn't know.

"I've said this all along: Chase is a young guy. His process is going to be different," O'Neill said. "Not everybody's process is going to be the same. His process to become that kind of guy every time might take a little bit longer than other people. … When he becomes consistent, his process will take on a different shape."

After the game, Budinger noted that his early production "kind of fired up the team." That may have been an understatement.

Budinger's assertiveness "gets the rest of the guys involved, too," O'Neill said. "Let's face it, we're not going to get a lot of scoring off the bench. Because of that, the same guys need to do the same things every night. We're going to be challenged in every game we're in until we get Nicky (Wise) back, to generate shots and generate scoring."

That thin margin for error prompted O'Neill to jump on Bayless at halftime after the freshman went scoreless in a half for the first time this season. He knew the Wildcats couldn't last long without Bayless being more of an offensive factor.

"I just wanted him to be overall a little more aggressive," O'Neill said. "I thought he was coming off pick and rolls and kind of heading toward midcourt instead of trying to turn the corner like he usually does."

Essentially, deep inside that driven exterior, at times, O'Neill sees a first-year player who is three months younger than Budinger. Tough love is sometimes required.

"Let's keep this in mind: This guy's a freshman," O'Neill said of Bayless. "He's played the point 40 minutes a game since Nic's been out. He's led us to a 2-3 record against all really good teams. He's going to have some ups and downs. Unfortunately for us, the way we're built right now, when he has a down (game) we're going to have a tough time."

That's why the fact that the Wildcats survived Bayless' off half so well was encouraging. They found a way to get it done: Jordan Hill stayed out of foul trouble, Jamelle Horne pulled down 11 rebounds, reserves Daniel Dillon and Zane Johnson made contributions, and Budinger went off early in the game when nobody else did.

"That's a great sign actually," Horne said. "Chase stepped up with a great first half and took control of the game. That's a great sign."

Undoubtedly, Arizona will need contributions like those again. Every week, it seems, the Cats have another desperation-type win and this week, with USC and UCLA coming to McKale Center, will be no exception.

If the Wildcats lose Thursday to the Trojans then Sunday's game against the Bruins, who have won six straight over the Wildcats, looks even more ominous.

"I don't know what the word on this one is," guard Jawann McClellan said of the post-game feeling Saturday. "Oh, man. You know what? We just need wins."