The Arizona Wildcats and the Washington State Cougars locked horns in a Pac-12 encounter on Thursday at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona.
No. 4 Arizona entered the game looking to extend its six-game winning streak and fortify its grip on the Pac-12 lead, while No. 21 Washington State sought to capture its eighth straight win and move ahead of the Wildcats at the top of the conference.
The Cougars built a 16-10 lead early in the first half courtesy of a Jaylen Wells 3-pointer. Arizona responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 16 apiece.
The visitors tried to pull away again, building another six-point lead with 8:50 left in the first half. Caleb Love kept Arizona in the game, scoring six straight points to knot the count at 24-24.
Washington State responded with a 7-0 surge and built a 31-24 advantage with 3:54 remaining in the half. The Wildcats uncorked a 9-1 blitz that moved them into the driver's seat at 33-32.
That lead was shortlived as Andrej Jakimovski buried two free throws to give the Cougars a 34-33 edge at the half.
In the second half, Arizona stormed to a 40-38 lead after Keshad Johnson connected on two foul shots. Wildcats would increase the lead to four, 46-42, after a Kylan Boswell triple that capped an 8-2 surge.
The Cougars responded with another run that handed them a 57-51 lead with 9:07 remaining. Arizona would retake the lead at 61-60 after Johnson's free throws.
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The Wildcats increased the advantage to three after Love scored on a 3-point play with 51 seconds left. However, that was the last time the home team would score as Washington State dropped six consecutive to win the game, 77-74.
The win propelled the Cougars (21-6, 12-4 Pac-12) to the top of the Pac-12 standings, supplanting Arizona (20-6, 11-4).
Arizona vs. Washington State College Basketball Season 2023-24 stats and box scores
Arizona stats and box score
Caleb Love paced the Wildcats with 27 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. He shot 8 of 20 from the field, including 4 of 12 beyond the 3-point line. Center Oumar Ballo finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Keshad Johnson added 12.
The Wildcats were miserable from the 3-point line with a 5 of 18 clip. Arizona's bench only contributed five points.
Washington State stats and box score
Jaylen Wells led the Cougars with 27 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. He shot 9 of 16 from the field, including 6 of 10 from deep.
Isaac Jones added 16 markers, six boards and two blocks, while Rueben Chinyelu came up with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Chinyelu and Kymany Houinsou provided the bench spark for Washington State as they combined for 20 points.
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