Josh Cohen, Saint Thomas help USC fend off Idaho State 75-69

LOS ANGELES — Josh Cohen had 19 points and Saint Thomas hit a late 3-pointer to help Southern California hold off Idaho State 75-69 on Thursday night.

Dylan Darling made both ends of a one-and-one following 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 1 of 2 free throws and followed with a dunk to tie the game at 63 with 4:02 remaining.

Clark Slajchert made 2 of 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt and Cohen hit a jumper following a Bengals turnover to give the Trojans a 68-65 lead with 2:25 left. Idaho State (0-2) turned a missed 3-pointer by Slajchert into a fastbreak layup by Jake O’Neil to get within a point.

Both teams missed shots before Thomas buried a 3-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 8 of 12 shots from the floor and 3 of 4 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.

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 6 of 14.

USC, which opened with a 77-51 home victory over Chattanooga, will host UT Arlington on Wednesday.