USC-Oregon: OT Surge Leads Trojans Past Ducks

When Daniel Hackett went to the line Saturday Night with USC Leading 73-69, he was trying to forget all about last year's meltdown against Memphis.

In that game, Hackett missed the free throw that would have tied the Tigers.

Well folks, he had a relapse. Hackett missed two straight from the line and on the next Ducks possession, 5'7 guard Tajuan Porter nailed a 3-pointer to make it 73-72.

Porter did not score until there was just under five minutes left in the second half and those points came on free throws.

O.J. Mayo suffered from cramps early in the first half and they returned late, causing him to miss the final minute and a half of regulation.

On the next USC possession, Hackett was again fouled. The only difference this time was he made the first one. With no timeouts remaining, the Ducks drove the length of the court, but Porter's layup danced off the rim and the ball went to the floor.

The Ducks and Trojans got into a scrap, forcing a jump ball scenario. Lucky for the Ducks, the possession arrow was in their favor.

On the inbound, Malik Hairston found a cutting Bryce Taylor for a layup to send the game into overtime with the score tied at 74. The Ducks had come from 14 down in the game and from 10 down with 2:00 to play.

USC won the tip and started overtime off with a bang, nailing three straight 3-pointers to make it 83-74.

After the USC barrage, the Ducks responded by hitting two straight 3-pointers (Porter, Lunnen) to cut the lead to 85-80. On their next trip down the floor the Ducks' Joevon Catron was fouled and made both free throws to cut the deficit to three.

Hackett freed himself from Porter to knock down a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to make it 88-82. Bryce Taylor then missed a 3-pointer and the Ducks had no choice but to foul.

Down five, with less than a minute remaining, Oregon coach Ernie Kent told his team not to foul. The decision backfired, as Mayo penetrated and kicked the ball out to a wide-open Angelo Johnson, who drained the 3-pointer and put the Ducks' comeback to rest with 22.4 seconds left. 

The final score was USC 95-86. With the loss, the Ducks fall to 12-8 and 3-5 in conference play. USC's record jumps to 13-6 and 4-3 in the Pac-10.

Hackett led all USC Scorers with 26 points, followed by Mayo with 25. Malik led all Oregon scorers with 21 points.

The Ducks' next game is against Oregon State, with the Trojans taking on Arizona.