PULLMAN – For nearly 30 minutes Saturday night, it looked and felt like the momentum Washington State stumbled on in two major road victories last week might carry the Cougars to a third.
The defensive tenacity they showed against Arizona State and Arizona appeared to have followed them back to Pullman. They were springing for rebounds, just like they did at Wells Fargo Arena and the McKale Center. They were whipping the ball around with purpose.
The Cougars played well enough for long enough on Saturday against the top team in the Pac-12 to prove last week’s road sweep wasn’t just a desert mirage.