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Photo Gallery: WSU splits home series against UCLA/USC

Take a look at some of the sights from the weekend inside Beasley Coliseum.

By Jack RM Ellis
PULLMAN, WA - FEBRUARY 11: Washington State center Efe Abogidi (0) fights through pressure en route to the hoop during the second half of a Pac 12 matchup between the UCLA Bruins and the Washington State Cougars on February 11, 2021, at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA. Jack Ellis/For CougCenter

The Washington State Cougars men’s basketball team split a weekend series against the Pac-12’s top two programs, beating UCLA on Thursday night before falling to USC on Saturday. The Cougs have won three of their last five conference matchups after a demoralizing stretch that accumulated six straight losses in through most of January.

After a brutal 30-point loss to the Bruins back on January 14, WSU came out hot with an 8-1 start and never looked back. Behind another career night from Isaac Bonton (26 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and a coming out game by sophomore DJ Rodman (11 points, 3-5 from three), the Cougars led by as much as 23 late in the second half:

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Fate was not so kind to the Cougars on Saturday, as hopes of a rare sweep of the LA schools fell short against the No. 20 Trojans by a score of 76-65. While WSU led for less than two minutes in the contest, the young squad played the Pac-12’s highest ranked — and first place — team tight up until the final buzzer, which has to please head coach Kyle Smith:

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There will not be any time to mull over Saturday’s loss, as in-state rival Washington travels to Pullman for a Monday evening matchup tonight at 5pm on the Pac-12 Networks. With senior leader Isaac Bonton likely out due to an injury, the challenge of maintaining Smith’s perfect record against UW has become all the more difficult.

Previous photo galleries!

Photo Gallery: Mountain schools travel to the Palouse, in pictures

Photo Gallery: A 5-0 start for WSU Basketball, in pictures

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