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Nikki Blue, shown here in a game against Stanford last week, scored 26 points in last night’s Brui

When the Washington State women’s basketball team last won a conference game, UCLA’s Nikki Blue was barely old enough to drive.

The Bruins’ freshman phenom ensured the Cougars’ dubious two-year streak would continue, tallying 26 points as UCLA ran over the hapless Cougars last night at Friel Court in Pullman, Wash. 86-70.

“Playing them was just what the doctor ordered,” head coach Kathy Olivier said. “It was a great warmup for the Washington game, and a good way to get back on track.”

The third-place Bruins (12-7, 7-3 Pac-10) snapped a three-game losing streak and pulled within 1.5 games of No. 7 Stanford for the conference lead. Meanwhile Washington State (0-18, 0-10 Pac-10) tumbled to its 31st straight conference loss, the 41st in a row overall.

“We did not want to be the first team to lose to them,” senior guard Michelle Greco said. “They play extremely hard at home.”

After a sluggish start, the Bruins methodically built a 15-point halftime lead behind 53 percent shooting in the first half. A 7-0 run out of halftime punctuated by a Nikki Blue three-pointer effectively put the game out of reach.

Blue shot 12-of-17 from the field and repeatedly overwhelmed the Cougars with her quickness and athleticism.

“Nikki’s such an explosive player,” head coach Kathy Olivier said. “She did a great job of working hard tonight. She used her quickness defensively to get a lot of layups and easy baskets.”

Junior forward Bianca McCall led the Cougars with 21 points, albeit just two in the first half.

After avoiding what could have been an embarrassing upset last night, the Bruins will attempt to pull one of their own tomorrow against No. 25 Washington (16-3, 8-2 Pac-10).

UCLA hammered the Huskies at Pauley Pavilion earlier this month 72-46, but some extenuating circumstances may have contributed to the lopsided nature of the final score. Washington’s Kayla Burt collapsed due to heart failure and nearly died just three days before the game took place.

“I’m sure Washington has this date circled on the calendar,” Olivier said. “They were going through some things the last time. We have to prove that game was not a fluke.”

The Huskies shot just 23.9 percent from the field in their first meeting, but they have won seven of their last eight games since that loss. If UCLA can pull the upset tomorrow night, it will move into a second-place tie with the Huskies.

“It’s a big game for us,” Greco said. “They’re going to want to beat us really bad.”

“We’re going to be the hunted,” added Olivier. “If we come out of this road trip 2-0, that would be sweet.”