PULLMAN — Chimezie Metu scored a career-high 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and Southern California outlasted Washington State 86-77 on Saturday night.
Metu finished 12 of 14 from the field. Jonah Mathews chipped in 18 points and six boards for the Trojans (20-4, 7-4 Pac-12), who have won four straight.
After a Josh Hawkinson dunk with 10:17 left gave the Cougars a two-point advantage, USC scored 15 of the next 17 points to take the lead for good.
Ike Iroegbu finished with 22 points and nine assists, and Hawkinson had 17 points and 16 boards for the Cougars (11-12, 4-7).
The teams traded momentum and the lead throughout the first half. WSU made 5 of its first 11 3-point attempts, but the Trojans turned a 20-8 interior scoring advantage into a five-point halftime lead. Thanks to Metu’s offensive performance, the Trojans ultimately won the interior battle and shot 57.1 percent from the field.
Bennie Boatwright started and scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for USC after coming off the bench the game prior. It was his second game back from a knee injury sustained Nov. 30.
Each team turned the ball over 10 times, but USC turned WSU’s into 15 points, while the Cougars had six points off turnovers.
Big picture
Southern California: The Trojans picked up its first Pac-12 road sweep since 2011 and continue the program’s best start since 1992. As indicated in his breakout game against Washington on Thursday, USC benefited when Boatwright matched a career-high with 23 points in its win against the Huskies. Boatwright shot 5 of 10 from the field, made three 3-pointers and played 29 minutes against the Cougars on Saturday night.
Washington State: The Cougars followed up a strong 1-1 road trip last week by dropping two at home to two of the Pac-12’s better teams. After losing to No. 11 UCLA on Thursday in a game closer than the final score indicated, WSU couldn’t contain USC inside on Saturday.
Up next
The Trojans host Oregon State Thursday and No. 13 Oregon Saturday.
The Cougars head Southwest to face Utah Thursday then Colorado on Feb. 12.
