Ellis’ jumper with two-tenths remaining lifts USC men’s basketball over Washington State

With 39 minutes and 40 seconds off the clock between USC and Washington State on Sunday evening, what exactly would transpire over those final 20 seconds was anyone’s guess. Two options seemed most plausible: the game could go to overtime, tied at 60, or the Trojans could win it right then and there.

By the time USC emerged from timeout and the clock shrank from 20 to 4.0, one thing, however, had become obvious: The prevailing option would be decided by junior guard Boogie Ellis.

Boogie chose the latter.

Ellis’ midrange jumper with two-tenths of a second remaining, a fadeaway from the free-throw line after separating himself from redshirt junior guard Tyrell Roberts, a shot that allowed the biggest hero from the first 39 minutes to play that role once again in the 40th, lifted USC to a 62-60 win over the Cougars at Galen Center.

“It felt great,” the always-mild-mannered Ellis said postgame. “It was a great shot. Coach called timeout and drew up a play for me … I just got to my spot and shot it.”

The game-winner brought Ellis’ final line to 6-of-10 from the field, a number that includes 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and excludes 7-for-8 from the charity strip.

“He played great,” Enfield said, also pointing to Ellis’ zero turnovers. “He played under control, he took what the defense gave him, he shared the ball when he needed to. This is one of his best games as a Trojan.”

Ellis played the starring role in the three-headed monster of USC’s offensive attack: senior guard Drew Peterson contributed 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, and a perfect junior forward Max Agbonkpolo (10 points on 2-for-2 from deep and 4-for-4 from the line) gave life to a bench unit that entered halftime with just two points.

Their offerings were much-needed, particularly because forwards redshirt senior Chevez Goodwin and junior Isaiah Mobley combined for just 12 points on 29% shooting, adding eight turnovers (six Mobley’s) for good measure. In that sense, a week after his teammates lifted an 0-for-7 Ellis and the Trojans to a win over UCLA, it was fitting that this time, Ellis got it done.

It was also fitting that Washington State would ultimately die by the 2-pointer, because precisely that type of shot had brought them to the brink of demise in the first place.

One of the more obscure stats one will ever find in a basketball game saw the Cougars go an efficient clip of 15-for-31 from outside the arc and a very-much-not-efficient-at-all clip of 5-for-32 from inside it, including 1-of-13 on layups. That putrid number explains how the Trojans put up 18 points in the paint to Wazzu’s six despite a 41-34 rebounding margin indicating at least somewhat of advantage down low for the visitors.

The prolific 3-point shooting is why head coach Andy Enfield said he switched from zone to man defense with around six minutes remaining, and his adjustment worked. From that point on, the Cougars kept at their abysmal shooting from 2-point territory (1-for-4 the rest of the way), but an 0-for-4 clip from deep couldn’t supplement them with the 3-point proficiency that had helped them build an eight-point lead with as few as 10 minutes to go.

“We knew they were gonna shoot a lot of threes coming in … So it wasn’t a surprise, but they did a great job of making big shots,” Enfield said. “We just had to do something differently because their shotmaking was incredible.”

Down the stretch, however, it was USC’s shotmaking that flipped the script, particularly on the behalf of the aforementioned three-headed attack. Once the Cougars built their second eight-point lead, Ellis, Peterson and Agbonkpolo combined for all but two of USC’s final 24 points.

A turnaround midrange from Peterson — the type of shot that’s been his bread and butter all season — and a corner 3-pointer from Agbonkpolo tied things up with 4:18 and 2:15 remaining, respectively, setting the stage for Ellis’ knockout punch.

“That’s what a team is about. Other guys have to step up,” Enfield said. “Every night, different guys step up and play well, and that’s why we’re 23-4 right now.”

“This is one of the best teams I’ve played on, so everybody’s talented,” Ellis said. “When the big shot comes, it doesn’t matter who takes it. Drew can take it, I can take it, Isaiah can take it, anybody can take it and anybody can make it on this team.”

History deems Ellis right. He, Goodwin, Peterson, Agbonkpolo and Mobley each have hit their version of the dagger at different points this season. On Sunday, it was again Ellis’ turn.

Starting in the timeout, and ending with two-tenths of a second remaining — a Hail Mary of a heave and a prayer of a tip-in the only chance remaining for Washington State — it was never going to be anyone else’s.