Hannes Steinbach posted a 24-point, 16-rebound double-double and Desmond Claude scored 22 points against his former team as Washington rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to stun No. 24 Southern California 84-76 on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Washington (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten Conference) went on a 20-3 run spanning nearly six minutes late in the second half to take the lead for good after digging a deep hole in the first half.
An early 13-0 run gave USC (8-1, 1-1) a double-digit-point lead it maintained most of the way to intermission. Chad Baker-Mazara scored 14 of his team-high 21 points before the break and Jerry Easter II recorded 10 of his 13 points in the first half.
Easter’s jumper just before the horn sent USC into halftime ahead 48-30 but Washington wasted little time chipping away after the break.
The Huskies scored the first 13 points of the second half, including 3-pointers by Steinbach, Zoom Diallo and former Trojan Wesley Yates II.
Yates joined Steinbach and Claude scoring in double-figures, finishing with 16 points in his return to Los Angeles. Claude capped his big game with a key basket down the stretch, answering a Jordan Marsh 3-pointer that cut a six-point Huskies lead in half.
Claude’s and-one on a Jacob Cofie foul kept USC at arm’s length and Easter connected on another 3-pointer on the ensuing Trojans possession – the last of USC’s eight made 3-pointers on 23 attempts – but the hosts would get no closer.
Washington scored the final five points to put the game away and end a pair of losing streaks: a two-game skid this season and 11 straight losses to USC dating back to January 2020.
The Huskies overcame 6-of-21 shooting from beyond the arc with a 23-of-43 to 14-of-37 advantage on 2-point field-goal attempts. Washington also dominated the glass 45-31 and points in the paint 40-24.
Franck Kepnang contributed to the Huskies’ edge on the boards with eight rebounds. Kepnang also scored nine points and blocked five shots, helping Washington leverage its interior size advantage.
Marsh finished with 17 points for USC. The Trojans remained without Rodney Rice for a third consecutive game, the result of a shoulder injury sustained Nov. 25 in the semifinal round of the Maui Invitational.
–Field Level Media
