LOS ANGELES — Chad Baker-Mazara scored 21 points in his first game back from injury, but it wasn’t enough to get the USC men’s basketball team a critical win against Oregon on Saturday.
The Ducks scored the final seven points as the Trojans lost 71-70 at the Galen Center, dramatically reducing their chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
Ezra Ausar added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans (18-9, 7-9 Big Ten). Alijah Arenas chipped in 13 points and five assists. Jacob Cofie led the defensive efforts with five blocks.
Kwame Evans Jr. scored 21 points to lead Oregon (10-17, 3-13), which had lost 11 of its last 12.
Both teams traded points until Arenas made back-to-back baskets on a 3-pointer and a jump shot that had him leaping above defenders. It polished off a 7-0 scoring run and gave USC a 63-56 lead.
Cofie’s free throw with 1:10 to play gave USC a seemingly comfortable 70-64 lead, but that was the beginning of the end.
Evans drove for a layup with 59 seconds left, then, after a Cofie turnover, banked in a 3-pointer eight seconds later to make it a one-point game. Baker-Mazara fouled out with 10 seconds left to send Nate Bittle to the line. The 7-footer made two free throws to put Oregon ahead. The comeback was complete after an Arenas turnover with two seconds left.
Baker-Mazara had missed the last three games due to a knee strain but made a statement in his return, spearheading the Trojans’ offensive efforts with smooth, accurate shooting.
The 6-foot-7 wing paced USC in the first half with 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, including going 3 for 5 from 3-point range, and a perfect 4 for 4 on free throws.
He grabbed a loose ball and hooked a layup on the other end of the court and followed up with a fast-break 3-pointer to give his team a 13-9 advantage with 13:31 on the clock.
Ausar and Kam Woods turned up the pressure in the paint in a concerted effort to make Bittle uncomfortable. Bittle had just returned to play Feb. 7 after dealing with an ankle injury.
USC trailed 35-32 at the end of the first half despite leading by eight points midway through the frame.
Six different Trojans scored in the first half, and their willingness to share the ball helped them finish plays. Alijah threw the ball up for Ausar to slap it in for a dunk and a 23-15 lead, and Woods polished off a missed shot by Ausar for a put-back jumper that helped USC stay ahead despite mounting pressure from the Ducks.
Oregon took off on a 13-2 scoring run in the latter portion of the opening half. Dezdrick Lindsay hit a free throw to tie the game at 27-all and then a triple to give Oregon its first lead of the game.
Twenty of the Ducks’ first-half points came in the paint, forcing the Trojans to clamp down defensively under the net in the second half. They forced Oregon to turn the ball over 10 times in the frame.
To add to USC’s struggles, Baker-Mazara received his fourth foul with 16 minutes remaining. Head coach Eric Musselman had little choice but to take him out of the game, and Baker-Mazara re-entered with 8:39 left.
The Trojans got to work in his absence, scoring eight unanswered points to stay in the game. Cofie sent a bounce pass to Ausar for a dunk that pulled USC ahead 54-52, but Evans evened it up again with a jump shot.
USC will take on crosstown rival UCLA on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.
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