After a 17-minute lead in the first half, the Ducks couldn’t keep up with the Trojan pressure when it mattered most.
Oregon (17-9, Pac-12 7-6) saw its two-game win streak come to a close, losing a battle to USC (18-9, 9-5) Thursday night, 72-70.
With 17 seconds left, Oregon’s Troy Brown Jr. snagged a rebound from a MiKyle McIntosh missed shot and tied the game with a layup. The game would then come down to the wire.
With a second remaining in the game, Trojan Jordan McLaughlin made a clear pass from the outside to the open arms of Chimezie Metu. Metu went in for a layup, breaking USC’s three-game losing streak he secured the team’s victory at the Galen Center.
From the first minute of the second half to Metu’s final layup, the teams played through 12 score ties, eight USC lead changes and six Oregon turnovers.
For Oregon, the game energy intensified from the first half, where it led USC by as much as seven.
Halfway through the first, Oregon’s Payton Pritchard completed a layup. The two-point basket, combined with the two free-throws he had made just moments prior, gave the Ducks a lead of 19-12 over the Trojans.
Even after USC made a pair of threes for a brief lead, McIntosh made his own 3-pointer (shooting 4-5 from the 3-point range over the course of the game) and returned the lead back to the Ducks.
McIntosh and Pritchard ended the first half, each leading the team with 10 points.
Starting with scoring the first point of the game, McIntosh’s performance was a silver lining for the Oregon team. He ended the night with 23 points (his Oregon career high), five rebounds and a single assist, all on four personal fouls.
Combined with Pritchard’s 17 points, the players were responsible for 40 of Oregon’s 70-point final. Brown followed Pritchard with 11 points.
The Trojans were led by Jonah Mathews’s 20 points and Metu’s 18.
Oregon will remain in Los Angeles and play the UCLA Bruins on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni