Glenn Taylor Jr. dropped in a go-ahead layup with 35 seconds remaining, Jordan Pope added a pair of free throws 17 seconds later and Oregon State surprised visiting Southern Cal 61-58 in a Pac-12 game Saturday at Corvallis, Ore.
Seeking to avoid a two-game sweep in the state of Oregon as they attempt to build upon their NCAA Tournament resume, the Trojans (17-8, 9-5 Pac-12) couldn’t overcome 1-of-14 shooting on 3-pointers, including a potential game-tying miss by Boogie Ellis with three seconds remaining.
Taylor paced the Beavers (10-16, 4-11) with 18 points, no two more important than his interior hoop following two Vincent Iwuchukwu free throws that had given USC its first lead of the second half at 58-57 with 1:09 to play.
After Taylor’s go-ahead hoop, USC had a chance to recapture the lead, but Iwuchukwu couldn’t connect from short range. The Trojans were then forced to foul Pope, whose made free throws forced USC into last-second desperation mode.
Taylor completed a double-double for the Beavers with a game-high 10 rebounds, helping Oregon State snap a three-game losing streak. Pope finished with 16 points and three assists.
Iwuchukwu had a game-high 19 points for the Trojans, who fell 78-60 at Oregon on Thursday. Drew Peterson added 11 points for USC and joined with Ellis and Tre White to share team-high rebound honors with eight.
Ellis chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds, while White had seven points and three assists.
The low-scoring affair saw just 19 points scored in the first 10 minutes before Oregon State built its biggest lead of the game at 36-25 by bridging the intermission with 13 consecutive points. Taylor had three layups and two foul shots in the run.
Despite poor 3-point shooting, USC rallied back into the game, getting within 42-40 just before the midpoint of the second half on two Ellis free throws, then 53-52 on a three-point play by Iwuchukwu with 4:09 to play.
The Trojans got as close as one two more times, the second coming at 57-56 on an Iwuchukwu layup with 1:56 remaining.
–Field Level Media
