The Washington State Cougars narrowly escaped a comeback attempt from the USC Trojans, hanging on to win another close one, 57-54.
WSU (16-8, 8-5 in Pac-12) found themselves as the ones trying to prevent the major comeback this time around, as USC (10-13, 3-10) pulled within three in the final seconds after trailing by as much as 20 earlier. With six seconds to go, USC tried to kick the ball outside for a game tying three, but Krystal Leger-Walker intercepted the pass to seal a close win for the Cougars.
The victory plants the Cougars firmly in fourth place in the Pac-12, which is important in that it would give WSU a bye in the Pac-12 tournament and surely be good for optics when NCAA tournament selection rolls around as the team pursues its second straight March Madness appearance — which would be a first in program history.