In a season full of tightrope walks and close calls, perhaps the conclusion was fitting.
UCLA survived a scare and escaped with a 58-54 overtime victory over host Washington State on Saturday in the regular-season finale.
Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, and junior guard Malcolm Lee made six clutch free throws down the stretch to lead a late surge.
The Bruins (22-9, 13-5 Pac-10) overcame a miserable start and a 13-point halftime deficit to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament, which will take place next weekend at Staples Center.
It didn’t come easy against the Cougars (19-11, 9-9), who were playing without Klay Thompson, suspended for the game after being caught with marijuana in his car on Thursday night. At least in the early going, his absence didn’t seem to affect Washington State, which used precise offense, aggressive defense and poor UCLA execution to build a 32-19 advantage after the first 20 minutes.
The second half, though, was a different story. UCLA came out of the gates on a 24-7 run that allowed it to seize a four-point lead. Things went back-and-forth the rest of the way, with Lee hitting a pair of free throws with nine seconds left to tie the game at 48 and send it to overtime.
The Bruins built a five-point lead in the extra session, only to see the Cougars come back and tie the game at 54. But Lee hit four more free throws in the final minute to seal the deal, and help UCLA salvage a road trip that begin with a loss at Washington on Thursday night.