Royce Woolridge added 25 points for the Cougars (13-18, 4-14 Pac-12), while Dexter Kernich-Drew chipped in with 11 points, as WSU clinched the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and will face No. 6 seed Washington in the first round on Wednesday.
For the Trojans (14-17, 9-9), J.T. Terrell led the way with 18 points. USC will be the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament and play Utah in the first round, also on Wednesday.
WSU took a 39-20 lead into the break. While the Cougars shot just 38.2 percent from the field, they did knock down 6-of-19 from 3-point range and they held USC to just 28.6 shooting from the field. The Trojans made only 2-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc.
After the break, both teams still struggled from the field. The Trojans made 39.3 percent of their field goal tries and again hit on 2-of-12 from 3-point distance. The Cougars only shot 37.9 from the field but did make 5-of-13 from 3-point distance. The Trojans were able to cut their deficit to just five points on several occasions in the second half, but WSU would let them get no closer, as the Cougars pulled away down the stretch for the victory.
WSU finished the night with a 45-34 rebounding edge. Both teams took good care of the ball, with the Cougars turning it over a stingy five times and the Trojans just 10.
