Feb. 26, 1998

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Kris Johnson's 3-pointer with less than a second remaining gave No. 18 UCLA a 78-75 victory over Washington State on Thursday night.

Johnson swished the shot from the right side over Will Hutchens with three-tenths of a second left as the Bruins (21-6, 11-4 Pacific-10) recovered from a 120-84 loss to then-No.2 Duke on Sunday.

The Cougars (9-18, 2-14) led most of the game, but lost for the 11th time in 12 games.

Washington State tied it with 27 seconds remaining when Carlos Daniel hit a pair of foul shots, setting up UCLA's final possession.

The Cougars were forced to put Hutchens on Johnson, UCLA's second-leading scorer, when Washington State starters Kab Kazadi and Steve Slotemaker fouled out with six minutes remaining.

Johnson, who saw limited time in the first half when he picked up his third foul after 14 minutes of play, finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-for-18 field-goal shooting. Toby Bailey had 19 points and nine rebounds, while J.R. Henderson had 15 points and nine boards.

Daniel led the Cougars with 18 points and nine rebounds. Chris Crosby came off the bench to score 15, while Blake Pengelly added 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

UCLA, which trailed 36-32 at halftime, won despite being outscored 21-13 at the free-throw line and being outrebounded 40-36.

The Bruins used pressure defense for an early 11-5 lead before Washington State recaptured the advantage, 22-19, after hitting four 3-pointers in the opening 12 minutes.

Washington State kept its lead until the final minutes.

The game was halted for about 10 minutes early in the second half when UCLA freshman guard Earl Watson hit the floor face-first after contesting a layup by Carlos Daniel. He walked off the court groggily under his own power and sat on the bench the rest of the game.