No. 8 Arizona vs. WSU final score: Wildcats take down the Cougs, 79-65

The No. 8 Arizona Wildcats pulled into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 with a 79-65 win at Washington State on Saturday night. UA shot well from beyond the arc to build a double-digit lead in the first half, and were able to maintain that advantage throughout the last 20 minutes for the easy victory.

WSU struggled to take care of the ball in the first half, and was buried when they gave it away on a string of possessions. The Cougars tightened up in the second half, but its few turnovers in that period came at unfortunate times.

Solomon Hill went nuts for Arizona from beyond the arc. He hit 6 of 8 threes, including a 65-footer at the buzzer in the first half. Those were all the points he would score, but it was enough for the Wildcats to build a comfortable lead.

D.J. Shelton had a bit of an odd night. All of his field goal attempts were from three. He hit 3 of 6, and hit all four of his free throws, to finish with 13 points. He also added 10 rebounds and played some pretty solid interior defense.

Brock Motum had his usually sneaky double-digit game. He scored 15 points, but probably gave up far more on the defensive end. He was abused consistently there.

The Cougars finish their first half of conference play with a 2-7 record. This was the first game of the Pac-12 season that they did not hold a lead in the second half. Had to happen eventually, right?