Onyenwere's 23 points lift No. 10 UCLA over Washington State
LOS ANGELES (AP) Michaela Onyenwere scored 23 points and Chrisma Osborne added 16 as No. 10 UCLA recovered from a slow start to earn a 66-50 victory over Washington State on Sunday.
The Bruins (18-1, 7-1 Pac-12) won despite shooting just 37% from the field and they did not make a 3-pointer in 15 attempts. UCLA improved to 11-0 at home and have won consecutive games after a double-overtime defeat at USC on Jan. 17.
Borislava Hristova scored 14 points for Washington State (9-11, 2-6), which saw its losing streak extend to four games. The Cougars held the lead through much of the first quarter before UCLA picked up the pace with a pressure defense.
The Bruins were just 1 of 7 from the field to start the game but never trailed by more than three. The game was tied 14-14 after one quarter.
UCLA took command in the second quarter, holding the Cougars to 3 of 15 (20 percent) from the field and just six points to take a 32-20 lead into halftime. They were never threatened from there.
Japreece Dean scored 10 points for UCLA, which held the Cougars to 35.5% from the field and forced 19 Washington State turnovers. UCLA had a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
UCLA held a slim 38-32 advantage in points in the paint and an even tighter 42-41 rebounding advantage.
Consecutive victories over Washington and Washington gives UCLA some momentum as its schedule is about to intensify. The Bruins visit No. 16 Arizona State and No. 18 Arizona next weekend, before visiting No. 6 Stanford on Feb. 7. Then come home games against No. 4 Oregon and No. 7 Oregon State the weekend of Feb 14-17.
BIG PICTURE
Washington State: The Cougars fell to 0-8 against ranked teams this season and have lost 30 consecutive games overall against teams in the top 25. Their last victory against a ranked team was in 2017 at home against then-No. 9 UCLA.
UCLA: The Bruins have never lost a home game Washington State, improving to 32-0 against the Cougars on Sunday and also improving to 56-8 in the all-time series. . UCLA head coach Cori Close improved to 190-100 in nine seasons at the school, with 10 regular-season games remaining on the Bruins' schedule. . The Bruins are two victories away from their fifth consecutive 20-win season.
UP NEXT
Washington State: Home against Cal on Friday.
UCLA: At Arizona on Friday.