Bruins don’t mind this trip to Washington State

Reporting from Pullman, Wash. — 

In a season of diminishing returns, UCLA can still bank on one thing: success in Eastern Washington.

Three things were clear after a 71-51 victory over Washington State at Friel Court Thursday. Tyler Honeycutt was perfect. Reeves Nelson was a mess. UCLA doesn’t lose along the Palouse.

The Bruins shook off the can-we-make-the-NIT persona that has dogged them throughout Pacific 10 Conference play to win their 17th consecutive road game against the Cougars -- 15 in Pullman, two in Spokane.

“This is a tough place to play,” said guard Michael Roll, who made six of seven shots and had a team-high 15 points. “It’s a long trip to get here. The crowd is very hostile. The weather is usually bad. That’s a lot for some California kids to deal with.”

Yet, it hasn’t been. Nothing could throw the Bruins off their game Thursday.

They found out beforehand that forward James Keefe is facing shoulder surgery and is lost for the season. It didn’t matter.

They lost Nelson late in the first half after a nasty fall that required 15 stitches above his right eye. It didn’t matter.

“I don’t know why,” Coach Ben Howland said when asked about the Bruins’ success.

True, the Cougars (15-11 overall, 5-9 in conference play) sit near the bottom in the conference, having lost six of seven games. But the Bruins (12-13, 7-6) played good basketball in contrast to their previous two losses to USC and California.

UCLA shot 66% from the field and shut down Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore, the Cougars’ top offensive threats. Thompson, the conference’s second-leading scorer, was two for nine from the field.

“The end of the season is coming up, we got five games left,” guard Malcolm Lee said. “We’re still in the running for the Pac-10 title. Everyone is bunched up. We need to use this momentum and finish strong. “

It wasn’t all good news.

The Bruins closed the half with a 14-2 run for a 40-26 lead. But a one-handed dunk by Nelson resulted in a horrific-looking fall with 4:23 left in the half.

He left the court bleeding from the right eye.

“I fell on my face,” Nelson said. “That’s never good.”

The Bruins got quality time from center J’mison Morgan, who had three blocked shots and three assists in 21 minutes.

He had played only 15 minutes since conference play began.

Nelson was stitched up at halftime and returned with six minutes left and asked to go back in.

“He looked like Jerry Quarry,” was Howland’s assessment. “There was no need to play him with a big lead.”

Honeycutt, meanwhile, has taken “gym rat” to new levels.

“I had to get on him because he sneaks into Pauley Pavilion at 11 p.m., after intramurals, and he’ll shoot until 1 a.m.,” Howland said. “He was just doing that Tuesday. I love the willingness to work, but . . . “

The time seems well spent. Honeycutt was five of five from the field, finishing with 14 points.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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