Revenge is not a common theme associated with a day for lovers, but it was all Washington had on its mind.

Instead, it was the 10th-ranked Washington State Cougars who broke the Huskies' hearts for the fourth straight time with a 65-61 win last night in a less-than-intimate Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Reserve Taylor Rochestie led the visitors with a season-high 16 points, as WSU (22-4 overall, 11-3 Pac-10) held the Huskies scoreless for the final 3:31 (0-of-7 shooting) to complete the season sweep of their in-state rivals and hand Washington (16-9 overall, 6-8 Pac-10) only its second home loss of the season.

"Washington State is a very, very good basketball team — a well-oiled machine, and they capitalize on every mistake that you make," said coach Lorenzo Romar.

With the win the Cougars are tied for first place in the Pac-10 with UCLA. Only four games stand between WSU, which was predicted to finish last in the conference, and a conference title.

"We have to stay focused, and yes, it is exciting to be in the hunt," said Cougar coach Tony Bennett. "That is big-time; there is no question about that."

The usual suspects in the frontcourt powered Washington throughout the contest. Freshman Spencer Hawes scored a game-high 22 points, and forward Jon Brockman scored 15 points to go along with 14 rebounds.

Behind Brockman's 12th double-double of the season, the Huskies out-rebounded the Cougars 22-10 in the second half to erase a once-10 point lead by the visitors.

Down 55-50 midway through the second half, Washington went on an 8-2 run — with all eight points by Hawes — to take a 58-57 lead with 5:33 remaining.

The Huskies would only make one more field goal in the game, a Justin Dentmon 3-pointer, as WSU closed the contest on an 8-3 spurt to earn their fifth-straight win.

Cougar fans, a noticeable presence through the heated contest, left the arena chanting, "This is our state!" as their team completed a sweep of all its in-state opponents this season.

"I think they're better than 10th in the nation," Brockman said of the only Pac-10 team he hasn't beat in his two years. "They really just showed what an experienced team, that plays hard and plays smart every single possession of the game, looks like."

With 6:11 remaining in a back-and-forth first half, WSU went on a 14-3 run to stretch their lead to 40-30. Eight of those points were from Ivory Clark, who silenced the home crowd with a flurry of dunks.

A pair of Hawes free throws cut the lead to eight before halftime, but it was an unstoppable Cougar shooting performance that highlighted the first 20 minutes. As a team, WSU shot more than 60 percent (17-of-28) in the period, led by the 10 points apiece for Clark and sophomore Rochestie.

Led by Rochestie's 16 points, on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, the WSU bench outscored Washington's 24-2.

"Rochestie had a heck of a game," Romar said. "He really hurt us."

The Huskies have only five games remaining; up next is a game against No. 5 Pittsburgh. Despite the loss, Washington's coach is proud of the way his team is competing as the season comes to a close.

"If we can continue in these last few games to put forth that kind of effort, I think we can hold out heads up high," Romar said.

Reach reporter Joshua Mayers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.