<p>Throw out all the numbers. Ignore the team records.
<br/>When Washington State comes to Pauley Pavilion, it?s going to be a good game.
<br/>Washington State flustered a stagnant, confused UCLA offense for 40 minutes on Thursday. But behind an active crowd of 11,102 at Pauley Pavilion and a stellar second half by Darren Collison, the No. 1 Bruins (12-0, 1-0 Pac-10) escaped with a 55-52 victory over the Cougars (11-2, 0-1).
<br/>?We knew this game was going to be like this - it's been like this for my whole career here,? junior guard Arron Afflalo said. ?We?re very fortunate to come out with a win tonight.?
<br/>Coming off a 37-point win off Michigan, the Bruins reverted to their old habits and came out sluggish to start the game. UCLA shot just 8-29 in the first half and trailed by four at half-time despite out-rebounding the Cougars by 11 in the first half.
<br/>But unlike in their previous games this year, the Bruins didn?t jump all over the Cougars and dominate the second half. Washington State extended its lead to nine in the first four minutes of the second half and the Bruins didn?t catch the Cougars until the 12-minute mark.
<br/>UCLA?s failure to set good screens, move away from the ball, and knock down shots continued throughout the duration of the second half.<br/>?Our offense was really inept tonight,? UCLA coach Ben Howland said. ?We really were standing - this was our third game back from Christmas - but a lot of it had to do with (Washington State).?<br/>One player who stepped up for the Bruins in the second half was Collison. After just a miserable first half, when Collison had three fouls, three turnovers and zero points and assists, the sophomore point guard was nearly flawless in the second half.<br/>Despite sitting out the first few minutes of the half in foul trouble, Collison recorded 13 points and four assists without turning the ball over in the second half. He also hit a big 3-point shot to give the Bruins back the lead after the team had gone 22 minutes trailing the Cougars. The Bruins did not trail the rest of the way.<br/>?I just wanted to win,? Collison said. ?I didn?t like the way we came out, me individually and as a team.?<br/>The Bruins finally appeared to have the game somewhat in hand after taking a six-point lead - their biggest lead of the game - with just over three minutes remaining.<br/>But after the Cougars? Nikola Koprivica hit a 3-pointer and Ivory Clark jammed home a feed from Derrick Low, Washington State was within one point with less than a minute to go.<br/>After Collison missed a lay-up with 29 seconds to go, the Cougars got the rebound and called timeout, with a chance to win the game.<br/>But Low missed a 3-pointer, Afflalo hit two free-throws, and Koprivica?s fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the back of the rim and the game was over.<br/>?This was a team picked for last place?? Howland said about Washington State. ?Throw them somewhere else in another conference.?</p>