Trojans overcome turnovers, Huskies in Pac-12 quarterfinal win

USC played against Washington and itself for most of Thursday night’s Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup, but still found a way to escape with a 65-61 win.

The Trojans turned the ball over 23 times against the Huskies, including an astounding 17 times in the second half. That number meant USC lost the ball on more than one-third of its possessions for the game, and 46% of the time it had the ball in the second half.

Still, the game remained tight throughout because as well as USC was playing defense against itself on the offensive end, the Trojans played equally well against the Huskies on the other end.

Washington shot just 30.8% from the floor for the game and missed 17 of its final 20 shots. The Trojans had just 10 made baskets over the final two minutes. But the key was finding an answer defensively for Washington’s Terrell Brown Jr.

The Pac-12’s leading scorer came into the game averaging 21.7 points per game and nearly had that in the first half alone. Brown Jr. scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting over the first 20 minutes. In the second half, he shot just 1-for-12 and missed both his three-point attempts.

USC was led offensively by Boogie Ellis, who scored 17 points and was the only Trojan in double figures. Ellis hit two three-pointers early in the second half to help cut an eight-point Washington lead down to two. The Huskies’ lead was never more than three from that point on.

Isaiah Mobley and Drew Peterson, USC’s First-Team All-Conference selections this season, each finished with nine points. Reese Dixon-Waters had nine as well, including two clutch free throws with six seconds remaining to ice the game.

Frantic Final Minute

USC struggled to put this game away against an inferior opponent. The Trojans didn’t move the ball as well as the last time out against Washington’s zone defense. USC players constantly got trapped by double teams and made poor decisions with the ball. When the Huskies switched defenses, the Trojans seemed to struggle to adjust.

The final minute served as a microcosm of the game.

Mobley finished a fast-break layup to put USC ahead 63-58 with 1:01 remaining. After a Washington free throw, USC threw the ball away on the inbounds pass with 46 seconds left, resulting in a held ball. Possession remained with the Trojans. On the ensuing inbounds, Max Agbonkpolo got stuck in a double team in the corner and threw it away, which resulted in a quick Washington layup. USC then took a timeout before it could get the ball in.

The Trojans finally got the ball in after the timeout, but Peterson was called for an offensive foul (a turnover) before the ball crossed halfcourt.

From there, it was the Mobley show on defense. He took on the challenge of guarding Brown Jr. out at the three-point line after a switch and hung with the prolific scorer enough to block his layup attempt. A poor replay decision by the officials kept the ball in Washington’s possession and Mobley again was called upon to defend a driving attempt from a Husky to tie the game. This time, Emmitt Matthews Jr. tossed up a running hookshot over Mobley that missed everything.

Dixon-Waters grabbed the loose ball, was fouled, and sunk the game-clinching free throws.

UCLA Up Next

Ultimately, the win improves USC’s record to 10-1 in games decided by five points or fewer this season.

It also sends USC into the semifinals, and another shot at UCLA this season. The crosstown rivals split the regular-season matchups, with each winning at home.

It’s another late-night tip for the Trojans. The two teams will start play at 8:30 pm Friday night,