Tre White and Kobe Johnson each scored career-highs with 22 and 21 points, and Southern California went on a late 14-2 run to secure its fourth straight win, an 80-74 defeat of Washington on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The Trojans (17-6, 9-3 Pac-12) trailed 60-58 with 4:11 remaining after Washington’s Keyon Menifield connected on a 3-pointer for part of his 21 points. USC responded by scoring the next seven points: a Boogie Ellis jumper, a Johnson 3-pointer and White’s putback basket.
The quick burst fueled the Trojans’ 14-2 run, giving them a lead they held the rest of the way.
Washington (13-12, 5-9) rallied to score 12 points in the final 54 seconds, twice cutting the deficit to four points, but got no closer.
USC made all 10 of its free-throw attempts in the closing 1:03 to keep the Huskies at arm’s length. The Trojans finished the night 18-of-21 from the line, led by Johnson’s perfect 9-of-9.
Johnson added five assists and four steals. White, who shot 10 of 16 from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists.
Drew Peterson flirted with a triple-double for the Trojans despite a poor shooting night of 4-of-14 from the floor. He scored 11 points, grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and passed for a game-high eight assists.
Twenty-three of USC’s 29 made field goals were assisted.
The win extended the Trojans’ home-court winning streak to 12 games, and keeps USC within a game of first-place in the Pac-12.
Keion Brooks Jr. scored 22 points for Washington and snagged a game-high 12 rebounds. Brooks and Menifield both passed for four assists. Menifield shot 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point arc, but the rest of the Huskies went just 2-of-11 from deep.
–Field Level Media
