Field Level Media
Jan 18, 2018
USC big men Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu scored 18 points apiece and Jordan McLaughlin made six free throws in the final 38.4 seconds in the Trojans' comeback 75-70 Pac-12 victory over the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday.
McLaughlin and Jonah Mathews had 11 points apiece for the Trojans (14-6, 5-2 Pac-12), who broke a 15-game losing streak to Oregon and moved within one-half game of the Pac-12 lead behind Arizona and Stanford.
USC, which broke an eight-game series losing streak to Utah on Sunday, had not won in Eugene since Jan. 2, 2009.
Payton Pritchard scored 18 points and forward MiKyle McIntosh had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks (12-7, 2-4), who have lost two in a row.
Paul White had 14 points and Troy Brown added 12 points for the Ducks.
USC has won five of its last six games, the only loss coming when Stanford guard Daejon Davis hit a 50-footer as time expired in a 77-76 victory Jan. 7.
Elijah Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Ducks a 68-66 lead with 2:56 remaining before Metu tied the game on a jump-hook in the lane with 1:49 left.
Mathews made one of two free throws for a 69-68 lead with 1:20 remaining, and McLaughlin made two free throws to make it 71-68 with 38.4 seconds left.
White made a layup with 29 seconds remaining before McLaughlin hit two more free throws with 22.8 seconds left for a 73-70 lead.
After Pritchard missed a 3-pointer, McLaughlin hit two more foul shots to clinch the victory.
Neither team led by more than four points in the second half, when there were 14 lead changes.
Point guard McLaughlin also had nine rebounds and seven assists. He leads the Pac-12 with 7.6 assists a game.
Boatwright had five rebounds and Metu had four, as the Trojans had a 36-26 edge on the boards.
Boatwright made four of the Trojans' seven 3-pointers and Mathews had two. Mathews has eight 3-pointers in the last three games after moving into a reserve role.
--Field Level Media