{"id":24029,"date":"2017-03-09T07:45:58","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T07:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=24029"},"modified":"2017-03-09T07:46:28","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T07:46:28","slug":"usc-tops-washington-pac-12-tourney-boosts-ncaa-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/usc-tops-washington-pac-12-tourney-boosts-ncaa-hopes.html","title":{"rendered":"USC tops Washington in Pac-12 tourney, boosts NCAA hopes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tUSC tops Washington in Pac-12 tourney, boosts NCAA hopes<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/h2>\n

\n\tUSC tops Washington in Pac-12 tourney, boosts NCAA hopes:- Chimezie Metu had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Southern California boosted its postseason hopes by holding off Washington 78-73 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBennie Boatwright added 13 points for the sixth-seeded Trojans, who rallied from 10 points down in the first half and then withstood a sloppy finish in advancing to play No. 3 UCLA on Thursday night.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDavid Crisp had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies (9-22) but missed a game-tying 3-point attempt in the closing seconds. Noah Dickerson scored 18 points, but Washington was undone by 10 second-half turnovers in its school-record 13th straight loss.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWashington played without potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz for a fourth straight game. The Pac-12 top scorer sat out with a sore knee, meaning the freshman's college career is likely over.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUSC (24-8) likely needed a win to stay in NCAA Tournament contention, but the Trojans struggled much of the night, not putting it away until Shaqquan Aaron hit two free throws with 3 seconds left.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWashington came out hot in the teams' second meeting in five days, with Matisse Thybulle hitting three straight 3-pointers to put the 11th-seeded Huskies up 37-27.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut USC switching to a zone and Metu's play inside fueled a 10-2 run to close the half. The Trojans took their first lead early in the second half on consecutive dunks by Metu.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThings unraveled for the Huskies from there. Malik Monk had to leave briefly with an apparent finger injury after blocking a shot. Then a foul and ensuing technical foul on Carlos Johnson led to Boatwright hitting four straight free throws and USC soon led by 14.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUSC missed three late free throws to help Washington get within 76-73 with 22 seconds left.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBIG PICTURE<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWashington: Next season can't come soon enough for the Huskies. Coach Lorenzo Romar is expected to return for a 16th year in part because he's signed Michael Porter Jr., the No. 1 player in the 2017 recruiting class.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUSC: Thanks to a recent four-game losing streak and only two wins over AP Top 25 teams (UCLA, No. 12 SMU), falling to the downtrodden Huskies might have extinguished the Trojans' NCAA Tournament hopes.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUP NEXT<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWashington: Romar has also signed prep standouts Jaylen Nowell, Daejon Davis and Blake Harris, giving the Huskies their best projected freshmen class next season.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUSC: The Trojans split two games with UCLA, but the last meeting was ugly. The Bruins rolled at home, 102-70 on Feb. 18, and are hoping to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSource:- http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaab\/2017\/03\/09\/usc-tops-washington-in-pac-12-tourney-boosts-ncaa-hopes\/98941988\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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