Seniors Vow Strong Finish

The Bruins’ final four regular-season games have turned into a senior-class last stand, beginning tonight at Washington State.

With Coach Steve Lavin openly contemplating the promise of next season and not very secretly writing off this one, can Toby Bailey, J.R. Henderson and Kris Johnson finish their UCLA careers by stopping the recent slippage?

“We’ve got to get onto some kind of roll or do something, just in our minds to salvage our year, as far as the seniors,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to go out like a bunch of punks or suckers, as I like to say.

Tonight

vs. Washington State

* 7

* Fox Sports

West 2

Site--Friel Court, Pullman.

Radio--AM 1150.

Records--18th-ranked UCLA 20-6, 10-4 in Pacific 10 Conference; Cougars 9-17, 2-13.

Update--This Washington trip could revive the Bruins (3-3 in February) enough for a decent tournament run, or wipe out the pretensions of March glory. With the huge Washington Huskies looming as the second stop, tonight’s game at hostile Friel Court against the outmanned Cougars is a threshold moment. UCLA senior forward J.R. Henderson has averaged 26 points in his three games at Washington State.