FINAL: WSU 73, UCLA 61

Well, it happened. UCLA lost 73-61 to Washington State, the Bruins’ first loss in Pullman since February 1993. Six of the 15 players who received minutes in the game weren’t even born then. The Cougars broke a nine-game losing streak despite not having its No. 2 and 3 starters — guards Mike Ladd (thumb knee) and DaVonte Lacy (knee) — who combine for over 20 points and nearly nine rebounds.

The Bruins were crushed on the boards 46-23, their worst deficit of the season after a 20-board margin at Arizona State. But UCLA has been a poor rebounding team all season, something it made up for by taking good care of the ball. That didn’t happen at Beasley Coliseum, where the Bruins — the conference leader in assist-to-turnover ratio — coughed to ball up 12 times against their 10 assists. WSU, which had 17 turnovers of its own, successfully bogged the game down and scored 44 points in the paint.

Brock Motum led the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds, taking advantage of UCLA’s David Wear frequently for easy layups. The Bruins, who only got as close as six, were led by Jordan Adams’ 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Star Shabazz Muhammad played poor defense and freely launched 3-point misses, missing making 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. He shot 4 of 19 overall, his worst showing of the season.

UCLA could still win a share of the Pac-12, but needs Oregon to lose at least once as the Ducks prepare to visit Colorado and Utah.