Josh Cohen had 19 points and Saint Thomas hit a late three-pointer to help USC hold off Idaho State 75-69 on Thursday night at Galen Center.
Dylan Darling made both ends of a one-and-one after his layup to give Idaho State a 58-57 lead with 8:45 left to play. USC (2-0) moved back ahead by three, but Evan Otten hit one of two free throws and followed with a dunk to tie the game at 63 with 4:02 remaining.
Clark Slajchert made two of three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt, and Cohen hit a jumper after a Bengals turnover to give the Trojans a 68-65 lead with 2:25 left. Idaho State (0-2) turned a missed three-pointer by Slajchert into a fastbreak layup by Jake O’Neil to get within a point.
Both teams missed shots before Thomas buried a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to put the Trojans up 71-67. Darling had a layup with 4.5 seconds left, but Slajchert hit two foul shots for a two-possession lead.
Cohen made eight of 12 shots from the floor and three of four free throws for USC. Wesley Yates III scored 13 points off the bench. Thomas finished with 10 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Darling, a sophomore transfer from Washington State, finished with a career-high 22 points for Idaho State. Isaiah Griffin had 10 points. O’Neil had nine points and nine rebounds.
USC forward Matt Knowling shoots in front of Idaho State forwards Jackson Greene and Blake Daberkow during the first half Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cohen had a layup with five seconds left and scored 12 points to help USC take a 38-35 lead into halftime. Darling had 15 points for Idaho State to keep it a one-possession game. The Bengals fell behind 19-7 but stayed close by making 14 of 16 foul shots, while the Trojans sank only six of 14.
USC, which opened with a 77-51 home victory over Tennessee Chattanooga, will host Texas Arlington on Wednesday.
