The Arizona women's basketball team, on the bubble for its first- ever NCAA Tournament birth, found its hopes a little deflated last night as they lost 76-67 to Washington State at McKale Center.

The Wildcats (17-7 overall and 8-7 in the Pacific 10 Conference) were beaten in front of 1,485 in their next-to-last home game of the season. The Cougars (16-10, 7-8) got dominating performances from a pair of forwards as they pulled away in a close game. Senior Jenni Ruff and junior Kristin Erickson combined for 50 points and 18 rebounds in the game.

"This was a game we all wanted to win and I thought we were ready to play," Arizona sophomore guard DeAngela Minter said, "but the intensity wasn't there."

The two teams played in a seesaw battle throughout the first half, with the Cougars containing the Wildcats' fast-break offense. Arizona, however, turned up the intensity and stifled the Cougar offense to open the second half on an 8-0 run.

Unfortunately for Arizona, that is when the Cougars' Erickson decided to heat up.

The 29 percent career 3-point shooter drained five straight 3-pointers in a 3-minute, 39 second-span as she single-handedly kept the Cougars in the game. Erickson was in the proverbial "zone" as she hit from everywhere, scoring 22 second-half points and finishing the game with 27 points and seven rebounds. She hit seven 3-pointers in the game, which tied a school record.

"I don't know if she can do that playing horse," Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "You just don't think that stuff is going to happen."

Erickson fouled out with 2:17 left in the game, but that is when Ruff took over. She scored six of Washington State's last eight points, including a turnaround jumper in the lane with 1:34 remaining that put Washington State out of reach. Arizona failed to execute its offense down the stretch and resorted to long 3-point attempts at the end of the game.

"We knew we had to win this ballgame and we didn't," Arizona senior guard Brenda Pantoja said. "I wanted to come out here and win two games in a row, but they came out and they were ready. That is how the Pac-10 is. If they are not going to the tournament, they don't want you to go either."

The teams battled back and forth throughout a game that saw 15 lead changes with no team ever holding a double-digit lead. The Cougars held a 36-33 lead at halftime.