SEATTLE (AP) – The Washington Huskies didn’t look forward to playing grind-it-out Washington State.

“It was something we’re definitely not used to,” Jamaal Williams said. “You just have to tough it out.”

Nate Robinson scored 13 points and the No. 10 Huskies moved into a tie for the Pac-10 lead with a 66-48 victory over the Cougars on Sunday.

Williams and freshman Joel Smith came off the bench to each score 10 points for the Huskies (16-2, 6-1), who won their 18th straight at home and tied a school record with their 12th straight Pac-10 home win. The Huskies are tied for first with Arizona (6-1), which beat Oregon State 92-83 on Saturday night.

It wasn’t a classic Washington offensive performance. The Huskies shot a season-worst .359 percent from the field (23-for-64) and 3-for-13 from 3-point range, but coach Dick Bennett’s ball-control Cougars had a lot to do with that.

The purple-clad student section didn’t appreciate the Cougars’ deliberate, slowdown tactics, chanting, “Boring, boring, boring,” in the second half.

Washington came into the game averaging 89.4 points a game, tops in the Pac-10 and second in the nation. The Huskies had their lowest point total of the season. They have scored 100 or more points in four games this season.

Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar still felt good afterward, though.

“The fact that we were able to win by 18 points despite it not being an uptempo game makes you feel pretty good,” he said.

“If we would do this every time we play them, we wouldn’t have to be uptempo.”

Williams, a transfer from New Mexico who has been a major contributor for the Huskies this season, said Washington’s players knew what they were in for.

“We didn’t think we’d have a 90-point game unless something miraculous happened,” he said. “We had to play a slow game and execute our halfcourt offense.”

Washington will be in Tucson Thursday night to play Arizona in a showdown game. The Huskies beat the Wildcats three times last season.

“We didn’t look forward to this game,” the Huskies’ Brandon Roy said. “Now we get to play Arizona and they’re a team that takes quick shots like we do. they get going up and down.”

Thomas Kelati led Washington State (8-8, 3-4) with 12 points.

Washington led 31-18 at halftime. The Huskies took the lead for good early on a three-point play by Williams, starting a 14-0 run that Tre Simmons capped with a 3-pointer to put them ahead 18-5.

That was the first of four 13-point leads for the Huskies in the opening half.

Mike Jensen opened the second half with a 3-pointer for Washington in the first minute and, after a 3-pointer by Derrick Low of Washington State, Robinson made a 3-pointer and Will Conroy followed with a layup after a steal under the basket to put the Huskies ahead 39-21.

Washington State shot just 19-for-59 (37.5 percent).

“This is a good shooters’ gym, but today all of my shots were in and out,” said Kelati, the Cougars’ leading scorer who was 5-for-14. “It just wasn’t falling for me today.”

Jeff Varem, Washington State’s No. 2 scorer, shook his head at his team’s dismal offensive performance.

“We need to be a better offensive team,” he said. “We always play good defense. We’re a defensive team.”

Bennett said the talent level between Washington and Washington State is wide.

“They prevented us from doing anything that we needed to do to stay competitive,” he said. “Their quickness was overwhelming.”

He defended his slowdown tactics.

“I felt we had to stay close,” he said.

The Huskies got Roy back for the game, and he scored five points in 20 minutes. Roy, considered Washington’s best all-around player, was held out of the previous two games after surgery on his right knee Nov. 30.

Washington beat Washington State for the 11th consecutive time at home. The last time the Cougars won in Seattle was Jan. 29, 1994. The teams play again in Pullman Feb. 19.

The Huskies beat the Cougars for third game in a row and for the 13th time in 17 games.

AP-ES-01-23-05 1914EST