Washington State's leading scorer, DaVonte Lacy, had what may have been his worst game of the season against UCLA on Saturday, but it didn't matter. It was the freshmen, Que Johnson and Ike Iroegbu, that led WSU to an upset of the Bruins for a second-straight year, 73-55, on Senior Night at Friel Court.
Johnson and Iroegbu tied for a team-high 14 points, including a combined 6 of 9 on 3s. The two helped make up for a struggling Lacy, who finished just 1-10 for the floor for 9 points.
Senior D.J. Shelton also struggled with his shot, hitting just 3 of 8 from the floor. But Shelton did cobble together 10 points to go with 14 rebounds for a double-double.
Shelton, with help from Ireogbu, had the play of the game with a transition flush that suddenly made it feel like WSU could actually pull off another win over UCLA at home.
It didn't look good early for the Cougs, as the Bruins built a 9-0 lead. But a 16-2 run to end the first half gave the Cougs a 34-26 halftime advantage. WSU would go on to lead by double digits for most of the second half, as the Cougar defense held UCLA to just 0.82 points per possession.
The Bruins had been the best offensive team in Pac-12 play, putting up 1.13 points per possession prior to their trip to Beasley.
This win came one year and two days after the last over UCLA in Pullman. That's a slightly shorter than the previous 20-year gap between wins over the Bruins at home for WSU. The win also ensures WSU won't finish in last place, something it has done more than any other Pac-12 school.
When Ken Bone gets let go, would anybody object to keeping him on retainer to coach against UCLA?