Washington State dropped a heartbreaker at home tonight, losing to Arizona 65-63 at Friel Court. WSU held a 10-point lead halfway through the first period but Arizona was able to chip away and come back to take a one-point lead at the break. The teams battled down the homestretch as neither team led by more than five points throughout the final 10 minutes of action. WSU moves to 14-6 on the season, 4-4 in Pac-10 play, while the Wildcats jump to 5-2.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto provided energy and productivity for the Cougars throughout the entire game, finishing with a team high 17 points, six rebounds and four blocks. What makes the performance even more impressive is that he did it against one of the best players in the nation, Derrick Williams. Casto was there all game, giving the Cougars an offensive option to rely on, making 8-of-12 shots from the field, many of which came when his team needed a basket to gain momentum.

Play of the Game: Casto made his presence known early in the game on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He finished with four blocks, all of which came from the authoritative right hand of the junior forward. The most electrifying came five minutes into the game when Kyle Fogg received the ball in transition. Fogg edged past the defender on his hip and thought he had a clear lane to the basket. It seemed everyone in the building besides Fogg knew this wasn't the case, as Casto sprinted back and spiked the ball out of bounds underneath the hoop.

Turning Point: WSU was up by eight points with 12 minutes left in the game when Arizona Coach Sean Miller received a technical foul. It looked like the Wildcats were starting to fall apart, but came back even stronger. After the Cougars were unable to capitalize on the technical foul, Arizona went on a 7-0 run to pull within one. The turn of events took the Pullman crowd out of the game for a brief period of time and gave the Wildcats the surge they needed to have if they were going to win the game.

Stat of the Game: The Cougars have had recent success on the boards but were outrebounded 40-30 tonight and gave up 17 second-chance points. Williams led the charge with 19 rebounds, nine offensive and 10 defensive. Arizona shot only 37 percent from the field but just had too many second attempts close to the basket.

WSU will have the week to prepare for cross-state rival Washington, who comes Pullman, Sunday, Jan. 30.

Until Next Time...Go Cougs,

Casey Johnson