Chad Baker-Mazara capped his 25-point night by sinking a step-back 3-pointer with 66 seconds remaining and No. 24 Southern California beat Oregon 82-77 on Tuesday in the Big Ten opener for both teams at Eugene, Ore.
USC (8-0, 1-0 Big Ten), playing its second consecutive game without injured Rodney Rice, rallied around key contributions from Baker-Mazara, Jacob Cofie and Ezra Ausar.
Cofie scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half to buoy the Trojans against a strong start for Oregon (4-4, 0-1), while Ausar scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
Baker-Mazara was the constant for USC throughout the night, scoring 12 in the first half and 13 in the second. He shot just 2-for-7 from 3-point range, but his second make from long distance was pivotal.
The Ducks took their fourth consecutive loss despite getting 23 points and nine rebounds from Kwame Evans Jr.
The Trojans led for much of the second half, but not by more than six points until the closing minute.
Baker-Mazara faked a drive toward the lane, pulled back and fired from near the top of the key, pushing USC’s lead to 78-73 after Oregon missed a prime opportunity to force a tie.
Ducks guard Takai Simpkins, attempting a 3-pointer from the wing with Oregon trailing 75-72, drew contact from Ryan Cornish. Simpkins missed the first and third of his three free-throw attempts, continuing the Ducks’ second-half struggles at the charity stripe.
Oregon shot just 14 of 22 (63.6%) from the line in the half, closing 17 of 26 (65.4%) for the game.
Oregon leaned on its 3-point shooting with 7-foot center Nate Bittle sidelined for a second straight game due to an ankle injury. The Ducks shot 10-of-23 (43.5%) from deep, led by Simpkins’ 4-of-6 success.
Simpkins finished with 17 points, complementing the interior scoring of Evans, who scored 16 points after intermission.
Evans filled some of the scoring void lost as USC focused its defense on slowing down Jackson Shelstad following the break. Shelstad, who finished with 13 points, went to the half with 11 after sinking a jumper just before the buzzer.
The shot ended a 14-2 run that gave the Trojans a fleeting lead after Oregon built an advantage of as many as 10 points. USC’s late surge sent the teams into halftime tied at 39.
–Field Level Media
