LOS ANGELES – On a night when USC was playing shorthanded and shooting 37.9% from the field, star freshman Isaiah Collier injured his right hand and was unable to finish the game as Washington State hammered him to the Trojans their eighth loss of the season. 72-64.
With 12 minutes left and USC down two points, Collier fumbled, fouled and exited. He finally returned to the bench with a brace on his right hand and some ice.
Coach Andy Enfield did not elaborate on Collier's injury after the game, while a USC spokesperson said Collier's injury had been officially diagnosed as a right hand contusion.
Enfield said forward Joshua Morgan, who has anchored the team's defense and averages 2.3 blocks, was ruled out three hours before kickoff with an undisclosed illness.
Facing a 10-5 (1-3 Pac-12) Cougars team that brought a lot of energy to the Galen Center, much of the load was left to senior Boogie Ellis. Ellis, who finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds, was playing at “about 60%,” according to Enfield, after injuring his hamstring last weekend.
“Boogie hasn't practiced all week,” Enfield said. “He doesn't excuse our missed free throws, open shots or some of the mistakes we made.”
Without Morgan patrolling the middle of the court, the Cougars outscored USC in the paint 34-28 and shot 47% from the field, while also outrebounding the Trojans 38-32. Wazzu's bench scored 36 points to USC's 16.
“We've been pretty bad defensively this year,” Ellis said.
Offensively, things weren't much better. USC missed 8 free throws and shot 29% on three-pointers. Only Ellis and Collier (12 points) reached double figures.
With LeBron James present, Bronny James was held scoreless and shot 0-for-3 from the field while grabbing 2 rebounds and recording 1 assist in 15 minutes. He sat out with 7½ minutes left and didn't return until the final 29 seconds because the Trojans got bigger down the stretch.
In his last two games against WSU and Stanford, Bronny is 0-of-7 from the field following a 10-point performance against Cal.
“Every player goes through times where they make and miss shots,” Enfleid said of Bronny. “It is a process”.
Last season, USC did not lose its eighth game until February 11. But after Wednesday night, the Trojans are 8-8 and 2-3 in the Pac-12.
Any progress USC has made with its last two wins is undermined by Wednesday's result, which was the first time the Cougars beat the Trojans on the road in nearly nine years.
The Trojans, who have reached the NCAA tournament the last three seasons, are in danger of missing March Madness.
“At the end of the day, no one feels sorry for us,” Ellis said. “We just have to keep working, keep pushing.”
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
