BRUINS GET BY ON LOVE FOR VICTORY UCLA BASKETBALL: AFTER ROUGH STRETCH, FRESHMAN SPARKS DECISIVE RUN AGAINST WSU.

Byline: Brian Dohn

Staff Writer

PULLMAN, Wash. -- During a 28-minute stretch, beginning just after Kevin Love made his third shot in less than two minutes early in the first half, he became a non-factor in UCLA's offense.

Some of it had to do with Washington State double-teaming him, but his teammates contributed to his lack of influence by paying little attention to their leading scorer.

Yet, when it came time for UCLA's decisive run, getting Love the ball in scoring position became a priority.

Love scored four points in a decisive 8-0 run late in the second half as No. 5 UCLA beat No. 17 Washington State 67-59 in front of 9,547 Thursday at Friel Court to remain one game ahead of Stanford and in first place in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Love scored 16 points, making 6 of his 8 field-goal attempts, but his nine rebounds ended his streak of double-doubles at six games.

However, there was no complaining for the Bruins, who flourished offensively in the second half against one of the Pac-10's top defensive teams.

UCLA shot 58.3 percent in the second half, and 55.1 percent for the game.

The Bruins (21-2, 9-1 Pac-10) won for the eight straight time against the Cougars, and 15th consecutive time in Pullman.

In the process, the former top-10 resident Cougars (17-5, 5-5) lost their third straight home game and are basically out of contention for the conference title.

"To beat them up here, knowing their back is against the wall, having lost two in a row at home already last weekend, is huge," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "To be without Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute) again, to me, is just incredible to be able to win on the road against a really good team."

With WSU committing more resources to stopping Love, Bruins point guard Darren Collison excelled in the second half, when he scored all of his game-high 18 points.

Collison and Russell Westbrook, who had 14 points, each played 39 minutes for shorthanded UCLA.

Mbah a Moute didn't make the trip because of sprained ankle.

"I was a little more aggressive in the second half," said Collison, who battled a cold during the day. "The attention was focused on Kevin and me. It was really hard to create, at times, but somehow we got it done."

The game was contested closely until the final five minutes, which is when the Bruins pulled away. Through the first 30 minutes, the largest lead was six points, which UCLA had twice early in the first half, and the second half was much of the same.

The first seven minutes after intermission produced four lead changes and a 36-36 tie, which came when Robbie Cowgill slammed in an alley-oop pass from Taylor Rochestie with 13:26 remaining.

Josh Shipp started the deciding run with a lay-in with 7:17 to play to put the Bruins ahead 48-45. Love added two free throws, Westbrook had a steal and lay-in and Love capped the 8-0 spurt with a follow of his own miss, after Alfred Aboya missed a shot, as the Bruins pushed their lead to 54-45 with 4:38 remaining.

"To tell you the truth, I was getting a little bit frustrated because I thought I was open a couple of times," Love said. "They started to get me the ball because I guess they found an opening. I ran the floor and tried to get down there and get fouled."

Love, who had 27 points and 14 rebounds against the Cougars last month, was instrumental in the getting WSU center Aron Baynes and Cowgill in foul trouble.

"I thought the one rebound play ... was an incredible sequence of the real fight and character of this team," Howland said. "It's just a great win. I couldn't be more proud of our guys."

Snow covered the region on Wednesday, and strong winds forced a 14-mile closure of several roads from Spokane to Pullman. UCLA, which took an uncharacteristic charter flight, was diverted Wednesday to Lewiston, Idaho, about 35 miles from the team's hotel.

Because of the road conditions, the Pac-10 chartered a plane for the game officials to make the 75-mile trip from Spokane.

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UCLA

SUNDAY

at Washington, 1:30 p.m., Hec Ed Pavilion.

TV: FSN Prime.

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Photo:

UCLA's Josh Shipp comes from behind to defend against Washington State's Robbie Cowgill in Thursday's game in Pullman, Wash.

Dean Hare/The Associated Press