Just like the Cincinnati Bearcats had their 32-game home winning streak at Nippert Stadium broken by the Tulane Green Wave in a late-November loss, the Washington State Cougars basketball team shattered the No. 5-ranked Arizona Wildcats' 28-game home winning streak when they took a 74-61 victory in McKale Memorial Center.
The game had the chance to be something more than just a routine win over a PAC-12 rival for Washington State, Arizona head basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said in a report from ESPN.
“They were able to put together a game plan that worked early for them and they've got some conviction,” Tommy Lloyd said. “We got in an early hole and deserve the result that we got.”
Washington State basketball coach Kyle Smith said he was no different than the Washington State players when he wanted to take a statement win and snap Arizona State's 28-game streak after falling in four of their last five games.
“You've got to dream it to come true,” Smith said. “You start thinking about quieting the crowd and in your mind you go possession by possession.
Article Continues Below“I did look up and see people filing out with 1:12 left and I was like, focus, focus, a lot of things can happen. And we were able to hang on.”
Just as he had after the Arizona Wildcats scored 61 points and shot 31% from the field against Washington State, Tommy Lloyd highlighted the team's lack of energy in an 81-66 loss to the Utah Utes in early December.
“All great teams have a solid, locked-in approach, and we didn’t do a good job being the aggressor,” Tommy Lloyd said. “Our energy and enthusiasm weren’t on an elite level.”
Arizona basketball will tip off against the Oregon State Beavers at 9 p.m. MST next Thursday in Gill Coliseum. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.