LOS ANGELES — The number of Purdue fans in Galen Center on Saturday afternoon overpowered their USC hosts. They drowned out in-game host DJ Mal-ski during his introduction and chanted over the Trojans’ player intro video.
The Boilermakers were in L.A. for the first time since December 1972 and were brimming with anticipation of possibly witnessing the program’s 1,000th win.
The Trojans channeled the energy of the crowd until they were breathing down the necks of the Boilermakers and had them against the ropes in a one-possession game with 15 seconds on the clock.
Purdue got what it came for. A standout performance by senior center Oscar Cluff and a handful of fouls that were called in the Boilermakers’ favor gave them a 69-64 win.
Jacob Cofie recorded a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds and Chad Baker-Mazara led USC with 15 points off the bench and tacked on three blocks.
Braden Smith, Purdue’s best offensive player, had a game-high 22 points even though USC limited him to just four points in the second half. Cluff followed with 19 points and six rebounds.
The Trojans won the opening tip and charged ahead, taking advantage of every defensive rebound and turning them into scoring opportunities.
Jaden Brownell hit a 3-pointer near the 12-minute mark, and when the Boilermakers got the ball back, Chad Baker-Mazara forced a turnover at midcourt and took two steps for a dunk. It was all part of a 16-0 scoring run that put USC ahead of Purdue 22-8.
Purdue’s shooting went cold during that stretch. The Boilermakers went 1-for-10 shooting with three turnovers in the roughly six minutes it took for the Trojans to gain their biggest lead of the half.
USC head coach Eric Musselman chose to deploy a starting lineup that featured size in 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes, 6-foot-10 forward Jacobi Cofie and 6-foot-9 forward Ezra Ausar.
Dynes cleaned up in the paint, scoring eight points in the first half while forcing Purdue to fight through him in order to get good looks at the basket.
Cluff, the Boilermakers’ 6-foot-11 center, and Smith combined for 24 points in the first half and powered their team to a pair of 8-0 scoring runs that got them nearly caught up with USC.
Gicarri Harris sank a pair of free throws to tie the game at 30-all and, shortly after, Cluff hit a three that gave Purdue its first lead of the game. Cluff tapped his forearm in celebration after the shot, indicating the ice in his veins, as the Boilermakers gained a 33-32 advantage.
Cluff’s fadeaway jumper made the score 38-32 at halftime.
Both teams traded baskets and fouls as the second half reached its midpoint. Cluff had collected four fouls by the time the clock hit 13 minutes and Cofie, Dynes and Ausar were all in foul trouble with three apiece.
The Trojans surged in the opening moments of the latter half. Cofie popped the ball into the basket on an offensive rebound and then dished the ball to Baker-Mazara for an alley-oop that put USC on top 43-42, but the foul trouble hindered USC from sustaining its efforts, and Purdue rattled off six unanswered points for a 57-54 lead with 8:06 left in the game.
Purdue’s shots briefly stopped falling, however, and went 0-for-6 in a six-minute timeframe. Meanwhile, USC leaned into its willpower and physicality that had served it well earlier in the game.
Ausar dribbled to the basket in a stance so low that it resembled a linebacker’s and rocketed up for a dunk. He hit a buzzer-beating triple. But the pace changed again when Cluff entered the game in the final two minutes.
His presence made all the difference as he made a jump shot and a free throw to make it a one-possession game.
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