Southern California Trojans vs Washington St. Cougars Box Score on Feb 13, 2021

Evan Mobley recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and blocked six shots, Tahj Eaddy scored a season-high 29 points, and visiting No. 20 Southern California held off Washington State 76-65 Saturday at Pullman, Wash.

The Trojans (17-3, 11-2 Pac-12) raced out to a 12-point lead behind Eaddy, who scored 11 points in the game's first 5:45 but had their lead whittled down to six points by halftime.

Washington State (12-9, 5-9) remained in striking distance for the entire second half and cut the deficit down to two points with a little more than five minutes left but could never overtake the Pac-12's first-place team.

USC held the host Cougars to just 24-of-66 shooting (36.4 percent) from the floor, including 3-of-25 from behind the 3-point arc. The Trojans shot 26-of-51 (51 percent) from the field and 5-of-11 from 3-point range, but Washington State converted 16 turnovers into 19 points.

Isaac Bonton paced the Cougars' turnover creation with four steals. He finished with 17 points.

Washington State also outpaced USC on second-chance points, 12-5. Dishon Jackson, who scored a team-high 18 points, pulled down three of the Cougars' 13 offensive boards.

But while Washington State kept the deficit within single digits for most of the second half, it could find no answer for the USC tandem of Eaddy and Mobley.

Eaddy went 10 of 16 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line while Mobley shot 7 of 13 from the floor and 6 of 9 from the charity stripe. Mobley's contributions on the defensive end also included a team-high two steals.

The inside-outside combination of Eaddy and Mobley picked up the scoring slack on a night when the next four highest-scoring Trojans for the season produced below their averages. Isaiah Mobley and Isaiah White each finished with seven points, Chevez Goodwin went scoreless, and Drew Peterson scored two points.

Peterson dished three assists, second among Trojans to Ethan Anderson's five. Bonton passed out five assists to lead Washington State.

With the win, USC maintains sole possession of first place in the conference and takes a six-game winning streak into a three-game homestand beginning Wednesday.

--Field Level Media