Perhaps it’s something in the Pullman water.

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Senior Fred Washington and the Cardinal couldn't make it two in a row last night in Pullman, Wash. as the Cardinal fell to the Cougars, 58-45. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/6859
Andrew Davis

Senior Fred Washington and the Cardinal couldn't make it two in a row last night in Pullman, Wash. as the Cardinal fell to the Cougars, 58-45.

Last season, Stanford beat Washington State in a 39-37 slugfest that saw the fewest points scored in a Pac-10 contest in 20 years.

Last night, the Cougars held Stanford to a season-low 45 points on 28 percent shooting to earn their 20th win of the season, 58-45. Ivory Clark (11 points) and Robbie Cowgill (10 points) paced the Cougars. Freshman center Brook Lopez (13 points) and sophomore guard Anthony Goods (11 points) were the only members of the Cardinal squad to reach double figures.

“They were flat better than us in all aspects,” Stanford head coach Trent Johnson said. “There was no question about it.”

No. 14 Washington State’s (20-4, 9-3 Pacific-10 Conference) suffocating defense forced the No. 25 Cardinal (15-7, 7-4 Pac-10) into missed shot after missed shot.

In a nine-and-a-half-minute stretch from 4:28 to go in the first half to 15:09 remaining in the second, Stanford scored just four points and managed just one field goal: a three-pointer from freshman guard Landry Fields. The Cougars took advantage, scoring 15 points to build a 30-21 lead from a 16-8 hole.

“I wanted to take it upon myself to put the clamps down on those guys,” Clark said. “I still had memories of Goods hitting that shot, and I didn’t want to come close to it.”

A key three from Daven Harmeling and a Cowgill layup put the Cougars up 39-29 with 5:52 to go, and the Cardinal never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

“We were lazy,” senior forward Fred Washington said. “We stopped doing what we had done to get where we are. We took a step back tonight, a gigantic step back.”

For the third-straight game, and fifth of their last six, Stanford jumped to a significant lead early on, 16-8. But the Cardinal allowed the Cougars to tear off a 14-1 run that built them a 22-17 lead, and Washington State never trailed again.

Stanford’s problems playing with a lead are becoming serious. They have led seven of their last eight games by at least eight points, only for the opponent to come back every time with a passionate charge. In the last month alone, Oregon, Gonzaga and now Washington State have come back to beat the Cardinal in games in which they were down big.

Stanford downed the Cougars 71-68 in overtime at Maples last month, but, with last night’s victory, the Cougars reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1993-94 season. They look to be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

“Just hearing that, 20 wins,” WSU junior Kyle Weaver said. “It’s a good feeling for us. Tonight was a good win; we took another step forward.”

Stanford’s NCAA hopes, meanwhile, now hinge all the more on a visit to struggling Washington (15-8, 5-7) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Cardinal came from behind to beat the Huskies 78-77 at home on Jan. 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.