Washington State Fall Short in USC Road Battle

WSU suffered their fifth consecutive loss on Sunday night.

Oct 25, 2025; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars forward Eemeli Yalaho (2) is introduced before a game against the New Mexico Lobos at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Washington State's slow start to the season continued on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The Cougars fell to the USC Trojans by a score of 68-61 for their fifth consecutive loss of the season.

Though it was the 133rd all-time meeting between the Cougars and the Trojans, it marked the first contest between the two sides with them representing separate conferences.

Rihards Vavers led the Cougars in scoring with 13 points, sinking three three-pointers and five of his eight field goal attempts. Jerone Morton and Eemeli Yalaho also scored in double figures with ten points each.

In the first half, USC benefitted friom a very strong offensive performance by Jacob Cofie, who made seven of his eight shots from the floor. Cofie also grabbed seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. WSU struggled to find their footing in the early going, but ended the half on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit. USC took a 33-26 lead into the halftime break thanks largely to those 14 points by Cofie and nine by Chad Baker-Mazara.

---

MORE: A Look Back at Washington State's Brief History with Utah State

---

In the second half, Washington State struggled to stay out of foul trouble. Six different Cougars had picked up their third foul by the 12:45 mark. However, the Cougars continued to fight, cutting USC's lead to just three points with 2:39 remaining. The Trojans then rattled off seven consecutive baskets to get the lead back to ten points. Yalaho made a three-point shot with nine seconds remaining as a consolation prize in the seven-point loss.

Cofie finished as the game's leading scorer with 21 points, as well as ten rebounds for a double-double. Meanwhile Baker-Mazara contributed 19 points and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.

---

MORE: Ace Glass Drops 40 Points in Washington State Loss To Arizona State in Maui

---

WSU were unable to counter USC aggressive approach in the paint successfully. The Cougs were whistled for 29 personal fouls over the course of the game, giving USC a total of 34 shots from the free-throw line. The Trojans made 27 of those shots.

The loss drops Washington State to 3-8 this season. They'll have a short break before they play Eastern Washington in Spokane at Numerica Veterans arena on Wednesday, December 17. After that, they'll host Mercer on December 20 in their final non-conference matchup before opening WCC play at Portland on December 28.

---