USC and its fans really wanted Washington State to beat UCLA on Friday night in Pullman. Washington State would have had less urgency against the Trojans if it could have scored a victory against UCLA. Also, a Bruin loss would have given USC an instant opening in the Pac-12 race.
The Cougars certainly made the Bruins sweat … but that’s as far as they got. They couldn’t lock up the Bruins and throw away the key. The Cougars allowed UCLA to slip away with a 67-66 win on Friel Court inside Beasley Coliseum.
UCLA led for a total of one minute and 27 seconds in this game. The contest was either led by Washington State or tied for the other 38 minutes and 33 seconds. Unfortunately for Wazzu — with led by nine points with 6:30 left and still led by three with 55 seconds to go — could not score down the stretch. WSU didn’t hit a single field goal attempt in the final 7:23, and UCLA scored a go-ahead bucket with 19 seconds on the clock. The Bruins preserved their lead on a final, frantic Washington State possession to get out of town with a win on a night when they didn’t play well.
USC faces Washington State on Sunday at noon Pacific time on Pac-12 Network.
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