WSU's Season Comes to a Close in Seattle

Thursday, March 1

Seattle, WA

6:00 PM

Washington State University

3-14, 10-20

USC

9-9, 20-10

#10 Washington State

#7 USC

Nike McClure powers through a shot block attempt by the Trojans.

March 01, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

An opening round battle went to the Trojans, 47-44, Thursday night.

By: Athletic Communications

In Case You Missed It
SEATTLE – A late flurry by the No. 10 seed Cougars (10-20) came up just short as the No. 7 seeded USC Trojans (20-10) held on for a 47-44 win in the opening round of the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Thursday night in Seattle. In what proved to be a defensive battle between the two teams, the Trojans were able to turn the tides of the game in their favor midway through the final quarter behind a 6-0 run that turned a one-point Cougar lead into a five-point USC advantage with just over six minutes to play. The Cougs would battle their way back as Nike McClure took over the game late, scoring the Cougs' final eight points of the night including a pair of old fashion three-point plays, the last of which made it a one-point game with :46 seconds to play. Instead of fouling, the Cougs chose to play defense, forcing the Trojans into a miss in the final seconds of the game, however an offensive rebound sank the final hopes of WSU. With just one foul in the quarter previously, the Cougars attempted to stop the clock with a handful of fouls but could only watch the final seconds tick away until Minyon Moore broke free for a game-sealing layup as time expired.

Quote of the night
"Really proud of the effort given everything that's happened in the last week," WSU's Mike Daugherty said after the game. "I thought the team played with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion. Really couldn't ask anything more out of these young ladies than what they gave today."

Moments of the Game

THAT'S THE WAY YOU FIGHT #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/Dc4LSQzfDs
— WSU Women's Hoops (@WSUWomensHoops) March 2, 2018

Nike is taking over this game, 5 straight points after the and-1 for the big center #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/mOtwYkoQUF
— WSU Women's Hoops (@WSUWomensHoops) March 2, 2018

The quick hands by Caila and the vision to find Bobi in transition - what a sight #GoCougs

Watch the final minutes of the game on @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/43D5DInlzW
— WSU Women's Hoops (@WSUWomensHoops) March 2, 2018

Now that's how you play the passing lane #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/CI9g18TgOn
— WSU Women's Hoops (@WSUWomensHoops) March 2, 2018

Things You Need To Know

The Cougs season came to an end in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament as USC improved it's record against WSU to 1-4 in the postseason.
WSU fell for the ninth time on the year in games decided by six points or less and the second time to the Trojans on the year who won a one-point game in Pullman back in January.
Nike McClure led the Cougs in scoring for the first time on the year as the lone WSU scorer to hit double-figures.
The first half saw both teams struggle as the Cougs held the Trojans to just 18 points but came up with just 16 of their own in the first 20 minutes of action.
USC put two in double-figures with Minyon Moore led all scorers with 16 points while Aliyah Mazyck scored 14.