John Blanchette: This Cougars moment appears Taylor-made

LOS ANGELES – OK, the Huskies have Cody Ellis.

The Cougs have Taylor Rochestie.

So they’re even. Sort of.

Well, not really. Washington State’s basketball fairy tale is a hell of a lot better story than whatever it was Washington accomplished by winning the Apple Cup, which was mostly momentum toward mediocrity.

For the Cougs, this is momentum toward delirium.

Besides, with a 74-64 triumph here in the quarterfinals of the Pacific-10 Conference tournament, the Cougs have won five straight in basketball from the Dawgs – unprecedented for Wazzu and, you’d presume, indigestible to U-Dub.

“It’s such a bad feeling (not beating them),” said UW forward Jon Brockman, who never has. “Losing to them is the worst thing ever. The ultimate low.”

So maybe it’s time for the Huskies to call in an exorcist, a shaman of their own. Doesn’t even have to be a basketball guy, either – though if memory serves, Christian Welp and his mates didn’t seem to have this problem. But this may require more extraordinary measures – a Spider Gaines or an Ellis, who we last saw pulling in a pass somewhere south of his britches and steaming toward the end zone in the Apple Cup.

Of course, the Cougs would just counter with Rochestie, who in this particular series seems to have developed the knack of coming up with any play necessary.

In Seattle last month, he had 16 points as an unlikely star in a 65-61 victory. So this time he wasn’t so unlikely.

Only his methods were.

This time he had 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half after the Cougars had fallen behind 36-32. Any number of those points was huge – the two free throws that gave Wazzu the lead for good with 5:40 left (and nudged UW point guard Justin Dentmon ever closer to fouling out) were big enough.

But in the final 2 minutes, the sophomore guard managed to throw in a fadeaway 3-pointer and then a runner from dead in front that banked agreeably off the glass and in, both answering baskets in the Huskies’ last, desperate push.

“On the 3-pointer, I was thinking about the ones I’d missed before,” Rochestie laughed. “I wanted to make a play and I was having some success driving the ball and I saw the opposing defender step back pretty far and give me some space – and fortunately enough it went in.

“As far as the drive at the end, I was trying to create some contact and get a foul – and even more fortunately that one banked in.”

Oh, there was considerable fortune in this one – surely the Huskies are still smarting from the five straight point-blank shots they got midway through the second half, all accompanied by more contact than you’ll find in an episode of “Ultimate Fighting” and nothing resulting in a whistle. But that’s tournament basketball – you play through it and make a shot that counts, which the Dawgs did. Though not enough of them.

But beyond fortunate, there is poise and lack of panic, two commodities the Cougars have cultivated this remarkable season. This time it meant not reaching for the Xanax just because the Huskies put together a splendid first half, helped along by foul trouble that planted Aron Baynes and Kyle Weaver on the bench – presumably not at opposite ends, as it would turn into a teeter-totter.

Along with Rochestie, Weaver and Robbie Cowgill sliced the Huskies up pretty good on offense, and the Cougs allowed UW little in the first 10 minutes of the second half other than a few bullish inside moves by Brockman. Even once the Huskies battled back to tie, Wazzu’s cool was telling – they scored in each of their last 10 possessions of the game.

“They have the same unequaled defense,” marveled Brockman, “but at the same time, I think they have more freedom on offense. They have athletes and they work so well to get each other open that they get a great shot every time down.

“But it’s more than that. They know what it takes to play hard every single play. If you let up one second, that could be the game right there. The best thing Washington State does out of anything – offense, defense, anything – is compete.”

Especially, it seems, against the Huskies.

“Well, it’s great to beat your in-state rival,” allowed Cowgill, “but that’s maybe more for the fans and the guys back home. But it’s more significant to beat a team of that quality and to play well.”

Bennett was even more pragmatic.

“I’d say our first win in the conference tournament (since it was resumed) is significant,” he said, “when you have to win or go home.”

Just one loose end:

Is Rochestie available for the Apple Cup?