Bruins play it close and widen the gap in Pac-10

Ignore the score.

Let anybody who sees only the box or the highlights imagine that fifth-ranked UCLA outlasted fourth-ranked Washington State in a game filled with offensive flourishes Saturday.

The truth is, UCLA’s 81-74 victory was a defensive blowout, and if Washington State is the second-best team in the Pacific 10, it’s time to start wondering who is going to challenge the Bruins, no matter how early it is in the race.

Forget that both teams shot better than 50% and Washington State made 13 three-pointers, including an astounding seven in a minute-and-a-half stretch near the end.

UCLA squashed undefeated Washington State’s fairy tale start in the first 15 minutes with in-their-jerseys defense that was patient yet aggressive, along with an offensive performance led by Kevin Love that punched a hole in Washington State’s own well-earned reputation for defense.

“I told our guys, nice job on the flurry coming back, but when it was really game time, we didn’t hang,” Washington State Coach Tony Bennett said. “They’re so tough, so physical. They had us on our heels.”

Washington State is no longer the stifled offensive team it once was. But against UCLA, the Cougars didn’t make a basket in the first 8 1/2 minutes and were held to only four free throws. They trailed by 18 points, 26-8, long before halftime.

The ignominious record St. Louis set for fewest points in a Division I game last week with 20 was safe -- Washington State got to 22 by the half -- but it couldn’t help but cross your mind.

The Bruins excelled at a concept that is easier understood on the offensive end. They were patient defensively.

“Washington State is a team that will run 30 to 35 seconds off the clock, so you have to be real patient,” point guard Darren Collison said. “We can’t gamble. Any time you gamble, you give them an opportunity to score.”

That isn’t to say the Bruins sat back. Quite the opposite.

“The way they run their offense, they like to space it out,” guard Josh Shipp said. “We definitely extended our ball pressure a few steps beyond the three-point line. I think we did a good job -- except for the last few minutes.

“It’s definitely hard. You tend to get anxious and want to go and do something, try to block a shot or make a steal. They’re waiting for you to make a mistake, and they’ll capitalize on it.”

Suddenly, the Pac-10 is not looking like all it seemed -- except for the competition for No. 2 through No. 9.

Still, don’t start visualizing where to hang the 12th NCAA title banner in Pauley Pavilion quite yet.

On the East Coast on Saturday, No. 1 North Carolina had a 25-0 run against a North Carolina State team that was picked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Tar Heels have an answer for Kevin Love. Memphis and Kansas, too, stand above the rest.

As for Washington State, it will fall from the list of Final Four contenders -- although if anybody wants to look for reasons the top-five clash between Washington State and UCLA could have been different, there are some.

Washington State missed its first seven shots, some of them from nearly point-blank range. Whether it was UCLA’s unrelenting pressure that made them harder or the Washington State players’ nerves is hard to say.

“I think we just came out -- a new atmosphere like this, you can’t be all shocked and frustrated by their defensive pressure,” guard Derrick Low said. “I think today we were on our heels. They were so into us.”

A bigger factor: Low’s foul trouble. He picked up his second on an offensive foul less than three minutes into the game, and played only seven minutes in the first half, failing to score.

In desperate straits in the second half, he poured in 24 points, including six of nine three-pointers.

If you’re searching for more evidence of stage fright, look at the Cougars’ 64.3% free-throw percentage against the Bruins. Washington State entered the game leading the Pac-10 at 77%. No matter how tough the Bruins are, they didn’t play defense on the foul line.

But UCLA did thwart a Washington State team that no longer deserves a reputation for offensive sluggishness.

The seniors who were part of a team that failed to break 30 points in an 81-29 loss to Oklahoma State as freshmen are the leaders of a team that often scores in the 70s and entered the game second in the Pac-10 in shooting, at 49.9%, which was better than UCLA.

The Cougars, though, were not.

“We felt that way,” Collison said. “We always feel that way.”

robyn.norwood@latimes.com