The Cougars escaped the upset when ASU guard Christian Polk's 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

Robbie Cowgill's running 5-footer broke a 44-44 tie with 2:00 remaining, and 'Iolani alum Derrick Low hit two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to give the Cougars a 48-44 lead.

But Polk nailed a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left, and he barely missed another after the Cougars turned the ball over attempting to inbound the ball.

The Cougars (19-4, 8-3 Pac-10) earned their first sweep of Arizona and Arizona State in the desert since 1981-82.

Jeff Pendergraph scored 18 points and Polk added 12 for Arizona State (6-16, 0-11), which set a school record with its 12th straight loss.

After spotting the Sun Devils an early 10-5 lead, Washington State went on a 19-4 run, with Harmeling scoring seven points. The Cougars followed that up with an 10-0 spurt on their way to a 36-24 halftime lead.

Washington State shot 63 percent (12 for 19) from the floor in the first half and 55 percent (5 for 9) from 3-point range.

The Cougars sliced up the Sun Devils with their trademark precision passing. At one point in the second half, they had 14 baskets on 12 assists.

Harmeling opened the second half with a four-point play — hitting a 3-point shot, drawing a foul on Polk and making the free throw — to give Washington State a 40-24 lead.

But the Sun Devils wouldn't go away. Pendergraph scored six straight points to pull ASU to 44-35 with 10:41 to play in the game.

Meanwhile, the Cougars went cold from the field. The Sun Devils shut them out for 11:20, using a 13-0 run to tie the game at 44-44 on Pendergraph's jumper with 2:24 to go.

But ASU wouldn't score again until Polk's 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left.