Southern California Edges Washington State 60-56

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Alex Stepheson finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Southern California fended off a late rally to secure a 60-56 victory over Washington State on Friday.

Washington State scored 11 straight points to get within 58-56 on Abe Lodwicks 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining.

The Cougars had a chance to tie or go ahead on the ensuing possession, but Klay Thompsons pass hit off the hands of Lodwick and bounced out of bounds.

Following an intentional foul, Donte Smith iced it with a pair of free throws for USC (9-6, 1-1 Pac-10).

Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 11 rebounds for USC, while Smith scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, off the bench.

DeAngelo Casto had 18 points for Washington State (10-4, 0-2), which suffered its third straight loss. Thompson struggled through a rough shooting night to score 17 points on 6-of-18 from the
floor.

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