Isaac Jones scored 26 points, including five straight down the stretch to give Washington State the lead for good, en route to a 72-64 Pac-12 Conference win over Southern California on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Neither team led by more than six points until Washington State (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12) pulled away late at the free-throw line, and the two sides exchanged the lead 19 times.
USC (8-8, 2-3) took its final lead when Harrison Hornery made a deep 3-pointer with 2:16 remaining. Jones attacked the paint on the ensuing possession, scoring what proved to be the decisive basket and drawing a foul on Kobe Johnson and completing the three-point play.
Jones scored another lay-in after grabbing a defensive rebound on the other end and effectively put the game away. Jones added 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
Jaylen Wells chipped in 17 points with 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and also grabbed five rebounds. Myles Rice posted 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals to help Washington State to its first win at USC since 2015.
The Trojans played without post presence Joshua Morgan, who averages 2.5 blocked shots per game. The Cougars effectively attacked the interior with a 34-28 advantage for points in the paint.
USC also lost guard Isaiah Collier with about 12 minutes remaining in regulation due to an apparent hand injury. Collier finished with 12 points and was one of only two Trojans to score in double figures.
Boogie Ellis went for 18 points and shot 3-of-7 from 3-point range. DJ Rodman, a transfer from Washington State who was facing his former team, went 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and finished with eight points.
Hornery was the only other Trojans player to make a 3-point attempt as the team finished 6-of-21.
Washington State shot only 6-of-19 from long range, but went 18-of-23 at the free-throw line to USC’s 14-of-22.
–Field Level Media