LOS ANGELES (AP) - Freshman Baron Davis scored 21 points and No. 8 UCLA used a full-court press at the start of the second half to beat Washington State 88-68 Thursday night.

Davis had just two points at halftime, when the Bruins (16-3, 6-2 Pac-10) trailed by one. He finished one short of his career high, and had seven assists and five steals.

UCLA opened the second half with the press and Davis' shooting touch soon turned the deficit into a 17-point advantage.

The Cougars (8-11, 1-7) lost their fourth straight and have never beaten UCLA in Los Angeles, where they are 0-41, including 0-33 in Pauley Pavilion.

Carlos Daniel led Washington State with 18 points.

J.R. Henderson added 17 points as five UCLA players scored in double figures.

The Bruins led by six points twice in the first half, but the Cougars kept it close and took their first lead on a 15-foot jumper by Kojo Mensah-Bonsu with 1:42 remaining.

Steve Slotemaker put back his own miss to keep Washington State ahead, 34-33, at the break.

Davis took over at the beginning of the second half, scoring UCLA's first four points. When he wasn't hitting jumpers, Davis was dishing off to his teammates or running the ball the length of the court and scoring on layups.

His 3-pointer pushed UCLA's lead to 63-47 with 11:14 remaining. Before that, Davis got his hands on the ball and tipped it to Johnson, who scored inside.

The Bruins outscored the Cougars 37-17 over the first nine minutes of the second half, with Davis getting 19 points in the spurt that had UCLA ahead 70-51.

Washington State scored six straight, including five by Daniel, to cut its deficit to 13 points - the closest the Cougars came in the final 7:45.