USC Remains in Pac-12 Title Contention After Last Second Win Over UCLA
USC struggled out of the gate to get the big shots on the board, and not once were they ever in the lead against UCLA until the final second of the 40 minutes. But that proved to be enough to maintain hopes for USC's first outright regular season title since 1960-61.
Tajh Eaddy received the inbound pass and sank a corner three with just one second remaining to move the Trojans to 21–6 (15–5 in Pac-12) and deliver a blow to the Bruins' NCAA tournament hopes.
UCLA held a 36–25 lead at the half as the Bruin defense dominated the Trojans. The Bruins seemed to be on their way to winning their 19th straight home game at the Pauley Pavilion with USC failing to find a rhythm on offense. USC was 0-for-6 in their three-point shots in the first half and only had a 42% success rate inside the arc. USC's lead scorer for the game and the season, Evan Mobley, scored only seven points in the first half and hadn't even attempted a three-pointer.
It wasn't until the final four minutes of play when UCLA was mired in a three-minute scoring drought that we saw USC come to life.
The Trojans' second three-pointer of the night came from starting guard, Drew Peterson, to tighten the gap at a one-point lead for UCLA at 61–60.
But Cody Riley ended UCLA's skid to give the Bruins a three-point lead, then USC failed to score and had to put the Bruins at the line.
After a pair of misses by UCLA on the front ends of one-and-one opportunities, USC managed to get the ball back with nine seconds left in play, trailing the Bruins 63–61.
USC nearly blew its chance, as a slip to the floor while driving to the basket resulted in a jump ball. USC retained the ball due to the possession arrow. With 3.7 seconds left, Ethan Anderson passed to Eaddy in the left corner, and Eaddy managed to give the Trojans the lead despite nearly falling out of bounds. A desperation halfcourt short from the Bruins hit the top of the backboard.
FINAL SCORE: USC 64, UCLA 63
Oregon plays Oregon State on Sunday at 5:00 pm PST. If Oregon wins, the Ducks will be crowned Pac-12 champions. However, if Oregon State wins, USC claims the title.
Tune in tomorrow night on FS1 to find out if the Trojans will come out on top of the conference.
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