SALT LAKE CITY -- It actually happened. The Washington Huskies won a road game.

The Huskies went into the Jon M. Hunstman Center and came away with a 57-53 Pacific-12 Conference win over the Utah Utes on Saturday.

With the accomplishment such a long time coming, did a wild celebration or some postgame swagger ensue?

Nope.

The Huskies shook hands with the Utes, took time for a few quick congratulations amongst themselves and offered some waves to the UW fans in attendance before exiting the floor.

"It was more of a relief than celebrating," said sophomore guard Terrence Ross. "We still have a long way to go."

Perhaps, because until about 9 seconds to play in the game, a win was not guaranteed.

The Huskies seemingly grabbed control of the back-and-forth game with 1:45 remaining. Tacoma guard Abdul Gaddy blew past defenders for a driving basket to put UW up, 55-47.

But the Huskies missed the front end of two one-and-one free throw situations and then allowed a driving bucket by Josh Watkins, one of two free throws from Dijon Farr and an uncontested 3-pointer from Cedric Martin in the span of a minute and half.

Suddenly the Huskies were clinging to a 55-53 lead.

Utah immediately fouled Ross with 8.9 seconds remaining. He coolly drained both shots to give Washington insurance.

"It was kind of getting to me," Ross said of the two previous misses. "But I just had to calm down and focus on the two free throws. I'm just happy I knocked them both in."

But it was a 3-point shot that Ross buried with just under three minutes to play that may have been the most important shot of the game.

Up 50-47, with the shot clock under 10 seconds, Gaddy found himself caught on the baseline after a drive. He fired a pass out to Desmond Simmons. Simmons had an open 17-foot jump shot. But instead, he fired the ball to Ross, who buried a shot from beyond the arc with one second remaining on the shot clock. It pushed the lead to six.

"I knew I had time for a real quick pass and I knew Terrence had time to get the shot off," Simmons said. "I knew Terrence was open, so in my mind as I soon as I get this, 'Terrence is money.' "

It was just one big play, but it indicated a change of thinking for the Huskies on offense. Coach Lorenzo Romar has pleaded with his team to make the extra pass. It's something they have done at home, but not on the road. That changed Saturday.

Washington (9-6 overall, 3-1 Pac-12) showed patience in a game in which Utah dictated a deliberate tempo.

"If we would have played the way we played in our other road games, meaning offensively rushing shots and taking quick shots, we probably would have gone down," Romar said. "We were as patient as we have been on the road all year. I think that was the difference in the game."

And Simmons' selflessness was a perfect example.

"Absolutely, absolutely," Romar said. "It was a learning process. I'm glad we were able to learn something in a win and not a loss."

Simmons finished with six points and 10 rebounds. His stellar play inside earned him a start in the second half.

"The stat sheet will show his 10 rebounds, but it won't show his heart," Romar said.

A four-point win over a Utah (4-11, 1-2) team that has been blown out by teams such as Weber State, Fresno State and Cal State Fullerton doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment. But the Utes beat Washington State on Thursday. And any win on the road is an achievement for UW this season.

Romar would hear no such talk.

"That's putting Utah down," he said. "I said this before the game, I said, 'I know what the kind of thought is about Utah right now -- they're struggling. But I don't think they are as bad as some might think.' "

Utah native C.J. Wilcox, who was playing in front of more than 40 friends and family members, struggled, scoring five points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field.

"I felt fine shooting the ball, it just wasn't falling," Wilcox said. "It was one of those days."

Romar wouldn't say that Wilcox was pressing.

"That may be the first thing people want to say," he said. "But in school, sometimes you get to take four exams and your bad grade you get to throw it out. Throw this game out."

The Huskies won't throw the win out, though. They needed it.

"We got our first road win," said Gaddy, from Bellarmine Prep. "It's a good thing to get off our shoulders. Now we know how to win on the road. Now we just have to go out and do it."