Bruins are relentless in victory

PULLMAN, Wash. -- UCLA forward Alfred Aboya missed a layup, but he almost got the tip. Kevin Love knocked the ball at the basket again and it rolled off the rim. Love got it back and powered up the basketball again.

This time it went in.

The second-half play of conviction was crucial in giving fifth-ranked UCLA a 67-59 win over 17th-ranked Washington State on Thursday night at Friel Court.

Love's offensive rebound capped an 8-0 run and opened up a nine-point lead for the Bruins (21-2, 9-1 Pacific 10 Conference). In a game when no one led by more than six points in the first half or by more than three for the first 12 minutes of the second half, that one spurt meant everything.

UCLA kept its one-game lead over Stanford in the Pac-10 race and the Cougars (17-5, 5-5) fell into fifth place after their third straight loss here.

After having no points at halftime and while battling a head cold, Darren Collison finished with 18 points, including nerveless seven-for-seven foul shooting.

Even while he said he was frustrated at not getting the ball enough, freshman center Love had 16 points and nine rebounds. Guard Russell Westbrook had 14 points and, after having five first-half turnovers, he didn't give one back in the second half. Josh Shipp scored only six points, but his layup on a feed from Love started UCLA's crucial 8-0 run and his defense on Washington State forward Kyle Weaver was endlessly aggressive.

"What a great win this was," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "I'm so pleased with this performance."

The arena was filled with the vim of 9,547 fans who found their way to Friel Court by back roads where the street signs were buried under snow banks.

It was officiated by a crew that needed a charter plane from Spokane on Thursday afternoon to make it to Pullman because the main road was closed.

Even though the Bruins had flown by charter for the first time this season, their plane had to land in Lewiston, Idaho, Wednesday night because the Palouse has been buffeted by snow for three days.

UCLA was also short a starter with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute left back in Los Angeles to heal a sprained ankle.

"We knew we would get their best shot," Howland said of the desperate Cougars, who have lost five of their last eight games after opening the season with 14 wins. "Knowing that their backs were against the wall and that we would be without Luc again, winning on the road without one of our best players, that's big."