PULLMAN, Wash. -- The high-scoring Washington Huskies beat their archrivals with defense.
The Huskies limited Washington State to 17 points in the first half and forced 22 turnovers in the game to roll past the Cougars 68-55 Saturday night.
"We were really aggressive tonight," said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, whose team came in second in the nation in scoring at 87 points per game.
Tre Simmons led a balanced Washington offense with 16 points. Mike Jensen added 13 points and Brandon Roy had 11 for the Huskies (21-4, 11-3 Pac-10), who are a game behind first-place Arizona in the Pac-10 standings. The Wildcats host Oregon State on Sunday.
Freshman guard Kyle Weaver came off the bench to lead Washington State (10-13, 5-9) with season highs of 15 points and eight rebounds. Thomas Kelati and Jeff Varem both scored 11 points for WSU.
The quick Huskies stole and deflected passes on a regular basis, especially in the first half.
Washington snapped a 9-9 tie 4 minutes into the game by outscoring WSU 15-2 over the next seven-plus minutes. It was 34-17 at the half, and the Cougars never challenged in the second half.
"Coach told us, 'Just try to deny the ball, and play our tempo,"' Simmons said. "We play a fast tempo. They play a slow tempo."
Washington State's deliberate style of play helped them start the day as the Pac-10 leaders in fewest turnovers per game (13.7) and least points allowed (56.5).
Varem (seven) and Kelati (five) combined for more than half of Washington State's season-high 22 turnovers.
"When two seniors who start turn the ball over 12 times, you know you have a problem," WSU coach Dick Bennett said.
Kelati and Varem, WSU's leading scorers, had only six points each before scoring five apiece during a game-closing 13-0 run against Washington's reserves.
"Thomas Kelati and Jeff Varem didn't quite get into a rhythm, and those guys are such threats when they get it going," Romar said. "Will Conroy, Mike Jensen and Hakeem Rollins did a great job to control them."
Simmons, guarded closely much of the game by Kelati, had just five points before he scored 11 on four long jumpers on consecutive possessions with Kelati on the bench late in the game.
"I didn't even know who was guarding me," Simmons said. "My eyes lit up."
The Huskies beat the Cougars for the fourth game in a row and 14th time in 18 games.
The Cougars have lost three straight overall and are look like a long shot to earn one of the eight berths in the Pac-10 Tournament.
Bennett surprised many observers by guiding WSU into the 2004 tournament after coming out of retirement last year.
"I was hired to get a program on the move, and it's not moving," Bennett said.
