Arizona guard Joy Hollingsworth picked up her glass at lunchtime yesterday and gave a toast to two wins in the state of Washington.

One down, one to go.

The Arizona women’s basketball team ended its six-game losing skid as it defeated Washington State 55-51 yesterday at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash.

The Cougars (5-17, 1-11 Pacific 10 Conference) have now lost 11 straight.

The Wildcats’ last win came against the Cougars on Jan. 6 in McKale Center when they snuck by 59-57.

This win brings UA coach Joan Bonvicini to 599 career wins.

With 1:06 left, Arizona forward Amina Njonkou jumped and tipped the ball in at the shot-clock buzzer, giving the Wildcats (8-16, 2-10) a 53-51 lead.

“”Amina’s incredible when she plays hard,””

Hollingsworth said. “”That tip late in the game was crucial for us.””

With 15 seconds left, Hollingsworth missed a layup, but the ball was rebounded by Njonkou. She dished it to guard Jessica Arnold who was fouled with 8.9 seconds left.

Arnold made both free throws to seal the win for the Wildcats.

The free throws “”were probably the two biggest free throws of her career,”” Bonvicini said.

“”My coaches just told me to stay relaxed and shoot free throws, and that’s what I did,”” Arnold said.

Hollingsworth scored a game-high 20 points, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from behind the arc.

Going into the second half, Arizona led 26-24. But the Cougars (5-17, 1-11) opened up strong on a 5-0 run.

A trey by Hollingsworth tied the game at 29 four minutes in, and the teams stayed within two points of each other for the next 10 minutes.

The Wildcats shot a season-low 28.6 percent from the field on 18-of-63 shooting, while the Cougars shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47).

“”We didn’t shoot the ball very well,”” said Arnold, who scored 13 points, “”but obviously we did a lot of other good things, and that’s why we got the win.””

Arizona guard Malia O’Neal started her fourth game of the season in place of guard Ashley Whisonant.

“”I don’t know what it is with Ashley. She’s been inconsistent for about a month,”” Bonvicini said before the game. “”We’ve always known (O’Neal) has had the ability, but she’s really starting to come into her zone.””

Senior guard Linda Pace started for the first time this season, appearing in only her 14th game overall.

She did not score but finished with four rebounds, two assists and four steals.

“”They work hard in practice,”” Arnold said of O’Neal and Pace. “”It’s just nice to see them do well and to see our team do well.””