Cal defeats USC Men’s Basketball 74-73

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“USC Loses 74-73 Thriller to Cal” by Max Meyer at GalenCentral.com

“Missing 11 free throws is a killer for a team in any game. It only gets magnified more in a close contest like this one was. USC made just 10 of its 11 attempts from the charity stripe, an abysmal 47.6 percent. As a team, the Trojans were shooting 74.5 percent on free throws heading into this affair, including 82.4 percent in conference play.”

Highlights: California basketball pulls out win over No. 25 USC

Recap from USC Athletics via the AP:

“Down 72-71, Jordan McLaughlin scored to give the Trojans a 73-72 lead with 17 seconds left, but it would not be enough as No. 25 USC fell to Cal by one, 74-73, on Sunday night.

Ivan Rabb scored 17 points, including the go-ahead free throws with five seconds left, and had a key block at the buzzer to lift California.”

USC Men's Basketball - Coach Enfield Presser vs. Cal 01/08/17

Recap from our friends at California Golden Blogs:

“The Trojans got back in the game with a 10-0 run that put them in front 53-51 with 12:09 to play. Metu missed his first three shots of the night but soon was raining elbow jumpers, scoring ten consecutive Trojan points as the first half wound down. After amassing 15 points against Stanford, McLaughlin got 13 before the second half began. That included a buzzer-beating heave from half court to tie the contest at 36. He’d end up with 20, but the Bears lucked out because the 83% free-throw shooter made just three of eight foul shots in this one. I don’t look forward to playing more games against the freshman Melton, who can do a little of everything on the court and forced three Cal turnovers. He was also the only USC player in double figures outside of Metu and McLaughlin.”

USC Men's Basketball - McLaughlin and Metu Presser vs. Cal 01/08/17

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From ESPN’s recap via the AP:

“McLaughlin and Chimezi Metu each scored 20 points to lead Southern California (15-2, 2-2), which lost at home for the first time this season.

Down 72-71, McLaughlin scored to give USC a 73-72 lead with 17 seconds left.

After a Cal timeout, Bird fed Rabb at the right low block, where he spun into the lane only to be fouled on his shot attempt by Metu.”