USC held Washington State scoreless for nearly eight minutes in the first half, building a 21-6 lead. The Cougars scrapped back to within eight, 29-21, by halftime.
The Trojans went up, 38-24 four minutes into the second half, then saw the Cougars (13-13, 5-9) pull to within one, 45-44, and have a chance to take the lead before turning the ball over.
Lewis scored seven of the Trojans' last nine points to help them pull away.
USC finished with an edge in all the numbers, including rebounding (39-27). Washington State shot 36.5% from the field and made only two of 18 three-pointers.
"That's a scary team," Floyd said. "They don't beat themselves. You don't see them get beat by 10 points very often."
The win may not have given USC's NCAA tournament hopes a significant boost, but it was a step in the right direction. It left the Trojans one game behind fifth-place Arizona.
"We needed that," Gibson said. "Three weeks is too long between victories."
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chris.foster@latimes.com
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Up next
VS. WASHINGTON
Saturday, 4 p.m., Galen Center, Prime Ticket: A victory over the Pacific 10 Conference-leading Huskies would do a lot for the Trojans' NCAA tournament credibility. But the Huskies' micro-guards gave USC fits in a 78-73 loss in Seattle.
-- Chris Foster
