If the California Golden Bears had managed to hold on in Pullman against the Washington St. Cougars, they might have been in the driver's seat to win the Pac-12 at 7-1 in the conference. But halfway through the second half and Cal holding a decent lead, the Bears ran out of steam, and they couldn't stop Washington State down the stretch.

After being able to score at will for most of the first thirty minutes, Cal's offense stagnated and couldn't generate baskets for most of the final ten. The Bears had no answer for guys like Faisal Aden (24 points on 9 of 12 shooting), Brock Motum (15 points and 10 boards, while only taking seven shots), DaVonte Lacy (14 points, including the game-winning three down the stretch) and Abe Lodwick (12 points).

Cal got good performances by all their starters offensively. Jorge Gutierrez had 19, Justin Cobbs had 15 and Allen Crabbe had 14. But it was the defense that let Mike Montgomery down on Saturday night.

To discuss Cal basketball, go to the California Golden Blogs. To talk about WSU basketball, go to CougCenter.