LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jacob Cofie made 9 of 12 from the field and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Chad Baker-Mazara added 19 points, and Southern California beat Washington State 68-61 on Sunday.
Baker-Mazara was just 4-of-11 shooting, 0 for 5 from 3-point range, but made 11 of 11 from the free-throw line and had six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Ezra Ausar added 13 points for USC (10-1).
ND Okafor hit two free throws and Rihards Vavers followed with a 3-pointer that trimmed Washington State’s deficit to three points with 2:39 left in the game. Jaden Brownell answered with layup and, after a chase-down block by Baker-Mazara, Cofie made two free throws to give the Trojans a seven-point lead with 48 seconds remaining.
Vavers led Washington State (3-8) with 13 points. Eemeli Yalaho and Jerone Morton each scored 10 points.
The Trojans scored the first 15 points in a tiebreaking 19-3 run — which included nine points by Baker-Mazara — that gave them 30-14 lead with 5:35 left in the first half. Washington State closed the first half on a 9-0 run and scored seven of the the first eight in the second half to make it a one-point game.
Each team shot 40% from the field, and Washington State hit 9 of 32 from 3-point range while the Trojans made just 1 of 13, but USC outscored the Cougars 27-10 from the free-throw line.
Up next
Washington State: The Cougars play Eastern Washington on Wednesday at the Spokane Arena.
USC: The Trojans host UTSA on Wednesday.
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