Boogie Ellis leads USC to win at Washington for 3-0 Pac-12 start

Boogie Ellis rallies USC to victory at Washington for 3-0 start in Pac-12

USC's Boogie Ellis drives against Washington's Keion Brooks on Dec. 30, 2022.

Associated Press

Dec. 30, 2022 9:49 PM PT

SEATTLE — Boogie Ellis scored 27 points as USC earned its seventh consecutive victory, pulling away from Washington late to earn an 80-67 win Friday night.

Ellis scored 16 points in the final 10 minutes of the second half, answering a run that put Washington in front by three points. Ellis’ point total matched his output in the Trojans’ 82-76 win over Brigham Young in November and was a point shy of his season-high 28 in USC’s 74-71 victory over Auburn on Dec. 18.

The Trojans (11-3, 3-0 Pac-12) finished 6-0 in games in December, including three straight to open conference play.

Washington (9-5, 1-2) trailed by seven points at intermission but quickly erased that deficit in the second half. Freshman Keyon Menifield scored on a pair of layups and Cole Bajema hit the first of his four second-half three-pointers to get the Huskies to within one, 42-41 three minutes into the half.

Trojans forward Joshua Morgan dunks at Washington during the first half Dec. 30, 2022.

Washington then used a 10-0 run fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Bajema and a pair of baskets by Menifield to take a 58-55 lead with 10:28 left. But Ellis answered by scoring nine points in an 11-0 run that put the Trojans back in front, 66-58.

Ellis finished shooting 10 for 19 from the field, including four for eight from long distance, and went three for three from the foul line. He also had seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Drew Peterson added 17 points, and Tre White contributed 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Keion Brooks paced the Huskies with 22 points and seven rebounds. Menifield added 18 points, and Bajema was four for nine from beyond the three-point arc and contributed 12 points.