TIM LIOTTA, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Noah Dickerson scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Washington to its first Pac-12 Conference road win in almost two years, a 88-81 victory over Southern California in a conference opener for both teams on Friday night.
Jaylen Nowell added 16 points as The Huskies (11-3) put five players in double figures, shot a season-high 67 percent and snapped a 14-game game conference losing streak. Matisse Thybulle chipped in 14 points, Dominic Green 13 and Sam Timmins 10 for Washington.
Washington’s inside game got the Southern California big men in foul trouble early to snap a six-game losing streak against Southern California, and evened its record to 2-2 away from home.
Chimezie Metu scored 26 points and Bennie Boatwright added 24 as Southern California (9-5) lost a conference home opener for the first time in four years.
Down 19-9 early, the Huskies took control inside and outscored the Trojans 32-16 until halftime, taking a 41-35 lead on Nahziah Carter’s driving layup with four seconds left in the first half.
Washington got the Trojans’ big men in foul trouble early, with center Chimezie Metu and forward Nick Rakocevic each picking up two fouls in the opening 11:07. Rakocevic picked up his third 2:05 into the second half, and Southern California struggled to control Washington inside most of the rest of the way.
The Huskies used an 11-4 run to take control late, opening a 64-52 lead on Nowell’s layup with 9:00 to play. The Trojans never got closer than 86-79 the rest of the way.
BIG PICTURE
Washington: The Huskies, who went 0-9 in conference road games a year ago, open their Pac-12 schedule this season with three consecutive road games. The Huskies have lost 14 consecutive conference road games since Jan. 28, 2016 when they defeated UCLA at Pauley Pavilion 86-84.
Southern California: The crowd at the Galen Center was sparse, as the game tipped off with the No. 8 Southern California football team playing in the second half of the Cotton Bowl against No. 5 Ohio State. The Cotton Bowl feed was displayed on the overhead scoreboard during timeouts and throughout halftime.
UP NEXT:
Washington: The Huskies resume their conference schedule Sunday night against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
Southern California: The Trojans play host to Washington State on Sunday night.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
