USC fans apparently remain skeptical about the Trojans’ success, as only 4,392 attended Thursday night’s 81-71 victory over Washington State at the Galen Center.
But if the Trojans hope to significantly increase interest in the basketball program, they probably will need to play better than they did against the lowly Cougars. After building a 70-54 lead, USC let Washington State score 10 straight points to cut the lead to 70-64.
However, USC guard Jordan McLaughlin, who was 1 for 7 from the field at the time, hit a 3-pointer with 5:10 remaining, and freshman Chimezie Metu made a layup to finally stop Washington State’s run and put the game away.