USC made its Big Ten Tournament debut in thrilling fashion knocking off Rutgers, 97-89, in double overtime Thursday night to advance to the second round in Indianapolis.
“That’s a game on why tournament play is so fun and exciting,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said after the win. “A double overtime game obviously with two teams that I thought played really, really hard.”
USC, the No. 14 seed, led the No. 11-seeded Scarlet Knights 41-30 at halftime, but committed 11 second-half turnovers, which turned into 17 points to power a Rutgers comeback. The Scarlet Knights took control of the game late and had a chance to go up by two possessions with 19 seconds remaining in regulation, but Rutgers guard Jeremiah Williams missed two straight free throws and a replay review gave the Trojans the ball after it went out of bounds.
On USC’s next possession, the Trojans cleared out the right side of the floor for Desmond Claude, who drove past Dylan Harper to score a layup and tie the game, 73-73, with nine seconds remaining. Harper missed the final shot of regulation on the other end, which sent the game to overtime.
The first overtime session featured five lead changes and a missed potential buzzer beater by Williams. USC and Rutgers both scored eight points in the period. Early three-point baskets from Rashaun Agee and Wesley Yates put the Trojans ahead by six points in the second overtime, which gave USC some breathing room. The Trojans were never seriously threatened after the two triples.
Claude scored 10 points in the overtime periods and finished with 28 for the game to lead all scorers. He played 46 minutes. Yates played all 50 minutes and scored 24 points. Agee scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 48 minutes.
Harper scored 27 points, but only made 1-of-8 three-pointers. Ace Bailey scored 17 points before fouling out with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. The loss likely ends the college careers of the two future NBA Draft lottery picks.
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Player of the Game: Desmond Claude
Desmond Claude drives by Jamichael Davis earlier this season. (Photo: Shotgun Spratling | USCfootball.com)
Claude hit the clutch shot to send the game to overtime, and led all scorers in overtime and for the game overall. The Xavier transfer hadn’t looked like himself for stretches since suffering a lower body injury against Michigan State on Feb. 1, but he was fantastic Thursday outside of committing six turnovers.
Turning point: Halftime of regulation and halftime of the overtimes
USC was firmly in control in the opening 20 minutes leading by as many 15 points. But in the second half, Rutgers pressed, which resulted in the Trojans committing six turnovers in a 2:07 span to open the door for the Scarlet Knights. With 4:07 in regulation, Harper made two free throws to give Rutgers its first lead of the game, 65-63, since early in the first half.
The intermission between the overtimes was another turning point. After Rutgers and USC yo-yoed lead changes in the first OT, the Trojans went up early on Rutgers in the second overtime thanks to a layup from Claude and three-pointers from Agee and Yates. From there, USC never looked back.
Key Stat: 46.2 percent
USC shot 46.2 percent from the field in the two overtime sessions compared to 35.3 percent for Rutgers. Musselman used a seven-man rotation, and USC didn’t run out of gas.
What It Means: Back to .500 with a chance at a marquee win
The win pushes USC to 16-16 on the year and sets up a second-round date with No. 6 seed Purdue. A victory over the Boilermakers would be a major upset and give the program something to hang its hat on despite being in the midst of a tough stretch (USC had lost six of its last eight regular season games heading into Wednesday).
Injury Updates:
Terrance Williams (wrist) is expected to miss the remainder of the season. True freshman Isaiah Elohim was also out for the eighth straight game due to an undisclosed injury.
What’s Next: Purdue in round two
USC will play No. 6 seed Purdue Thursday at approximately 6:00 p.m. PDT (Big Ten Network). The Trojans lost to the Boilermakers on the road 90-72 earlier this season without Claude who missed the game due to injury. Purdue comes into Thursday’s action having lost five of their last seven games, but the Boilermakers are the only team in the Big Ten with two first-team All-Conference selections in Player of the Year Braden Smith and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. USC will certainly be challenged.
Highlights:
