University Southern California Trojans
USC
Oregon
Oregon Men's Hoops Squad Slips Past USC, 80-77
February 26, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2000
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - Alex Scales scored a career-high 30 points, and Darius Wright scored four of his 17 points in the final 45 seconds Saturday as Oregon rallied for an 80-77 victory over Southern California.
Wright's jumper from the left baseline with 45 seconds remaining snapped a 74-all tie and put the Ducks (19-7, 10-5 Pac-10) ahead for good.
Frederick Jones stole the ball from Jeff Trepagnier, and Wright made two free throws with 20.6 seconds left to give the Ducks a four-point lead.
Brian Scalabrine's three-point play with 9.7 seconds to play cut Oregon's lead to 78-77, and Wright dropped the ball out of bounds with seven seconds remaining, giving the Trojans another opportunity.
However, Scalabrine fell down trying to field an inbound pass from Brandon Granville, giving Oregon the ball, and Julius Hicks made two foul shots with 5.2 seconds left to complete the scoring. Granville missed a 3-point shot as time expired.
Bryan Bracey added 13 points for the Ducks, who won despite the fact that A.D. Smith, averaging a team-leading 15.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, missed most of the game.
Smith suffered a concussion when his head hit the floor in a scramble under the Ducks' basket four minutes into the game. He was able to walk off the floor, but didn't return.
Scalabrine scored 22 of his career-high 29 points in the second half for the Trojans (14-12, 7-7), who lost for the sixth time in seven games. David Bluthenthal added 24 points for USC. Scalabrine and Bluthenthal each had 10 rebounds.
A jump shot by Scales gave Oregon a 48-40 lead - largest of the game for either team. It was 50-42 when the Trojans ran off nine points for their first lead of the second half.
Scalabrine's three-point play with 4:56 remaining made it 67-61, but the Ducks ran off the next eight points for a 69-67 lead with 3:04 to go.
Scalabrine then scored four quick points to put the Trojans on top, but Scales, a senior guard, answered with a 3-point shot and a layup to put the Ducks ahead 74-71 with two minutes left.
Trepagnier made two foul shots with 1:45 remaining and another with 1:10 left to tie the game 74-all.
Neither team led by more than four points until Scales and Wright made consecutive 3-point shots to give Oregon a 38-32 lead. It was 41-34 at halftime.
The Ducks helped themselves by making six 3-point shots in the half - three by Wright and two by Scales - to none for the Trojans, who didn't make a 3-pointer until Granville connected with 14:43 left. That turned out to be USC's only 3-pointer of the game, and Oregon finished with nine.
