The USC basketball team looks to be surging at just the right time, now with wins in three straight games and five of the last six entering the final month of the regular season.

The Trojans followed a familiar script Thursday night in an 80-70 win over Washington State inside Galen Center, leaning on veteran leaders Boogie Ellis (23 points) and Drew Peterson (20 points) to carry the load.

The pair combined to hit 8 of 15 3-pointers as the Trojans (16-6, 8-3 Pac-12) erased an early 13-point deficit and eventually pulled away in the final minutes of the game.

USC was holding a tenuous 1-point lead when Ellis knocked down two free throws with 1:50 to play, Peterson followed with a 3-pointer a minute later and Ellis then stole the ball and fed Vincent Iwucukwu for a fast-break dunk to make it 76-68 to essentially seal the win.

Iwuchukwu, the 7-foot-1 freshman who missed half the season following his cardiac arrest scare over the summer, had 5 points and 4 blocks in a season-high 23 minutes in his sixth game back, while Tre White added 14 points.

USC sits third in the Pac-12 standings, a game behind UCLA and a half game back of Arizona.

Watch coach Andy Enfield, Ellis and Peterson discuss the win here: