Field Level Media
Dec 4, 2021
Chevez Goodwin scored a game-high 14 points, including a go-ahead three-point play with 16 seconds remaining, as No. 20 Southern California defeated Washington State 63-61 in a Pacific-12 Conference game Saturday afternoon in Pullman, Wash.
Drew Peterson added 13 points and a team-high six rebounds for the Trojans (8-0, 2-0 Pac-12), who are off to their best start since the 2016-17 season, when they opened 14-0.
Michael Flowers led WSU (6-2, 1-1) with 13 points and Noah Williams scored 12.
With the score tied at 58-all, Peterson made a turnaround jumper from the free-throw line with 51 seconds left to give the Trojans the lead.
The Cougars' TJ Bamba responded with a 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to put WSU up 61-60.
USC's Boogie Ellis drove into the lane and dished to Goodwin, who made a short jumper and was fouled by Dishon Jackson. The free throw made it 63-61 with 16 seconds to go.
Williams had a jumper from the baseline blocked by USC's Max Agbonkpolo with 6 seconds remaining and, after the Trojans missed a free throw, Williams' 3-point attempt at the final buzzer came up short.
The Trojans, after trailing 32-30 at the intermission, opened the second half with a 9-0 run. Goodwin scored the first seven points during the streak, on a second-chance hook shot in the lane, a three-point play after being fouled while dunking and a layup, all in the first 1:40 of the period.
Ethan Anderson capped the run with a jumper in the lane to give USC a 39-32 lead with 17:32 remaining.
A pair of 3-pointers by Flowers helped pull the Cougars within a point and they regained the lead on Andrej Jakimovski's driving layup with 10:21 left to make it 47-46.
Bamba made a 3-pointer off a USC turnover to give the Cougars a 50-46 lead with 8:21 left during a stretch in which the Trojans failed to make a field goal for more than five minutes.
But the Cougars were unable to pull away, missing seven of eight shots from the field, and USC tied it at 54-all on a 3-pointer by Isaiah Mobley with 4:29 to go.
--Field Level Media