No. 7 Arizona loses marathon 4OT game at USC
Jan 9, 2016, 8:30 PM | Updated: 9:29 pm
Southern California forward Bennie Boatwright (25) battles Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski (35) and forward Ryan Anderson (12) for the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Los Angeles. Southern California won it in a fourth overtime 103-101. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elijah Stewart scored a career-high 27 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 22 seconds left in the fourth overtime, helping Southern California edge No. 7 Arizona 103-101 Saturday to improve to 11-0 at home for the first time since the 1974 season.
Arizona’s Gabe York dribbled around as the clock wound down and lost the ball before the Wildcats recovered only to see Kadeem Allen’s 3-point attempt fall short at the buzzer.
Julian Jacobs added 18 points, and Jordan McLaughlin and Nikola Jovanovic had 17 each for the Trojans (14-3, 3-1 Pac-12), who hung in and hung on after blowing a 12-point lead with 5 1/2 minutes to go in regulation. They snapped a three-game skid against Arizona. USC has won eight of its last nine.
Allonzo Trier scored 25 points and York added 21 for the Wildcats (13-3, 1-2). They ended a lost weekend in Los Angeles, having been beaten by three points at UCLA on Thursday.
Ryan Anderson had his streak of five straight games with double-doubles snapped when he was held to a season-low five points on just seven shots.
In the fourth OT, Trier’s basket gave Arizona a 99-97 lead. The Trojans got two free throws from Jovanovic and Stewart scored on a layup to make it 101-99. Kaleb Tarczewski tied it for the last time on a pair of free throws before Stewart got fouled and made the winning free throws.
The Wildcats trailed by 12 points when they closed regulation on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 73-all. Allen’s layup forced overtime after USC briefly regained the lead on a layup by Jovanovic.
Arizona led 77-75 in the first OT before the Trojans made four straight free throws to take a two-point lead. Tarczewski’s tip-in tied it at 79-all to force the second OT.
Tarczewski’s jumper tied the game in the second extra session before York’s 3-pointer gave Arizona an 84-81 lead. But the big man’s offensive foul gave the Trojans possession and they scored on Stewart’s layup to take an 85-84 lead.
Tarczewski fouled Jovanovic, who missed the first and made the second.
York made a pair of free throws for an 86-all tie. Trier stole the ball off a bad pass by Jacobs, but didn’t have enough time to get off a shot and the teams went to a third OT.
The Wildcats led by four before USC scored six straight points to go up 95-93. York’s layup tied it at 95-all, forcing the last OT.
