Brick after brick, USC constructed its own defeat. The Trojans shot 37.9% from the field and scored 0 points in the final 2:16 of regulation; they basically handed Washington State the 72-64 victory Wednesday night at Galen Center. 

For the majority of the game, the Trojans (8-8, 2-3 Pac-12) leaned heavily on fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis. Despite exhibiting a hobbling hamstring, Ellis finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Ellis’ injury proved fatal when it inhibited his ability to convert shots in clutch time.

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“Boogie hurt his hamstring. [He] tweaked it last game, so he hasn’t practiced all week,” said Head Coach Andy Enfield. “Down the stretch — where he missed that layup and the free throws and the threes — he didn’t have his normal legs under him late in the game.”

The Pac-12 is already shaping up to be tricky terrain for the Trojans. After dropping their first pair of intra-conference games, they swept the Bay Area schools and looked to Washington State (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12)  with the intention of building momentum by securing a season-best three-game win streak. Obviously, that did not happen, but at the beginning of Wednesday’s matchup, the achievement was surely possible. 

In the first half, the Trojans’ strong defensive effort provided a plethora of opportunities to run away with the lead, but they failed to produce offensively. USC shot 32.3% from the field and 14.3% beyond the arc, whereas Washington State shot 42.9% and 40%.  

“In the first half, we were a little sluggish. We kept missing wide-open shots,” Enfield said. “We weren’t sharp offensively, but we should’ve been with only four turnovers.”

Bronny on defense as Cougars guard Myles Rice pushes down-court. (Bryce Dechert / Daily Trojan)

First USC, then the Cougars — each squad took a 6-point lead at some point in the opening half. By intermission, USC trailed by just 1 point. Free throws kept the score close as the Trojans shot 7-10 from the line, while the Cougars shot 1-4.

Emerging from halftime, the Trojans’ struggles controlling tempo, winning the transition game and defending inside continued. The lack of rhythm was attributed to the absence of redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan. According to Enfield, Morgan is out indefinitely with an illness.

“To be honest, no one could stop [Cougars fifth year forward Isaac Jones],” said graduate forward DJ Rodman. “Having rim protection, we take that for granted so much. When [Morgan] is there, I’m not worried about if I get blown by. I know he’ll block the shot.”

When the Cougars regained their 6 point lead, freshman guard Isaiah Collier responded with a jumper and the Trojans began to narrow the score margin. Down by 2 with 12:12 remaining, Collier entered the locker room because of a right hand contusion. 

Directly following Collier’s exit, Ellis nailed triples on back-to-back possessions to give the Trojans their first lead of the half. 

Trojans forward Harrison Hornery tries for a free throw. (Bryce Dechert / Daily Trojan)

Rodman — who spent four years as a Cougar — stepped up as well with 8 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Rodman reflected on his experience facing his former program.

“People don’t really get the opportunity to play against their old school, so I had a fun time talking to dudes on the court,” Rodman said. “Obviously losing wasn’t fun, but other than that, I was still having fun being with my friends from [Washington State].”

Freshman guard Bronny James recorded 16 minutes and headed to the bench with 7:31 minutes remaining. 

“The reason we went with [junior guard Kobe Johnson] and [freshman forward Arrinten Page] down the stretch as the wings was because we were small in size without [Morgan],” Enfield said.

James is listed as 6-foot-4; he is one of four Trojans under 6-foot-6.

Inside the final two minutes, Washington State scored 9 unanswered points. The scoring run was largely prompted by the team’s ability to draw fouls. The Cougars shot 17 of 19 from the foul stripe in the second half compared to the Trojans’ 7 of 12.

“We tried to double the post a few times and we got some turnovers, but the kid Jones really hurt us,” Enfield said. “We fouled him way too much and we let him off the hook.”

LeBron James and his wife Savannah at the game. (Bryce Dechert / Daily Trojan)

Down the stretch, Enfield put the game in the hands of Ellis. Contrary to Enfield’s expectations, Ellis missed a pivotal free throw in addition to his last three field goal attempts.

“It hurts to not have [Collier] out there in those final minutes, but we can’t really do much about it,” Ellis said. “I’ve just got to make my free throws and make that 3.”

One positive takeaway from Wednesday’s showing is the Trojans’ alleviation of their turnover troubles. After averaging 14 turnovers per game, USC has turned the ball over under 10 times in its last three games. 

The Trojans will need to make many more successful adjustments in a short time frame to escape the pit of tournament-ineligible mediocrity. Given their upcoming road trip and injuries plague, it’s going to be a challenging stretch.

USC is headed to Boulder this weekend where it will face Colorado on Saturday at 7 p.m.