LOS ANGELES – UCLA’s final game at Pauley Pavilion this season was an appropriate contrast to its first this season.
The defensively conscious Bruins slogged through a 77-68 win over Washington State on Saturday to end the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
When it opened the season on Nov. 11, UCLA piled up 119 points and set a school record for 3-pointers it later broke.
The Bruins led the country in offensive efficiency wire-to-wire this season, according to analytics guru Ken Pomeroy. Saturday was another indicator of the improvement in UCLA’s approach at the other end of the floor as it held Washington State to 42 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers.