Bennie Boatwright came off the bench to score 23 points in his return from a two-month injury absence, leading USC to an 82-74 comeback victory over Washington in a Pac-12 game Wednesday night at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

De'Anthony Melton posted 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals for USC (19-4, 6-4 Pac-12). Chimezie Metu had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jordan McLaughlin added 13 points.

Markelle Fultz scored 20 points for Washington (9-13, 2-8). Noah Dickerson had 17 points and nine rebounds. David Crisp scored 16 points and Matisse Thybulle had 12.

Washington led by 10 at the half, but USC started the second period with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to one on a layup by Melton. The Huskies pushed the lead back to nine on a 3-pointer by Fultz, but the Trojans wouldn't go away.

USC got within one on a basket by Boatwright with about five minutes remaining. Boatwright, who missed 15 games with a knee injury, made 7 of 10 field-goal attempts.

The Trojans took a 68-66 lead on three-point play by Boatwright and went up by six moments later. The Huskies got within one on a 3-pointer by Thybulle with 1:48 remaining, but a jumper by Metu and two free throws by Boatwright helped the Trojans hold on.

The teams exchanged leads several times throughout the first half. The Huskies mounted an 8-1 run to take a 22-16 lead on two free throws by Dickerson. The Trojans battled back to reclaim the lead on a dunk by Melton as part of an 11-0 run that put USC up 27-22, but the Huskies ended the half with a 15-0 run to carry a 37-27 advantage into the break.