USC defeats Minnesota 69-70
USC Edges Minnesota in Thrilling Conference Showdown
In a back-and-forth affair that came down to the wire, visiting USC outlasted host Minnesota 70-69 on Saturday night at Williams Arena.
The Golden Gophers had home-court advantage, but it was their own mistakes and the Trojans' clutch shooting that ultimately decided the game. At halftime, the away team led by just five points, 33-30, but USC maintained its edge throughout the second half. The largest lead Minnesota enjoyed was four points early in the first half, while USC's biggest margin came with 13 points late in the third quarter.
The final score was the closest of any conference matchup on Saturday.
Chad Baker-Mazara led all scorers for USC with 29 points on 45% shooting from the field. Ezra Ausar chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Chad Baker-Mazara added eight assists to go along with his 29 points.
For Minnesota, Cade Tyson scored 20 points on 3-9 three-point attempts, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists.
USC (45.0% FG) got off to a strong start in the second half, making five of its first six field goal attempts. Minnesota (39.0% FG) battled back behind Tyson's hot hand, but USC managed to stay ahead thanks in part to Baker-Mazara's 13 points and Ausar's eight rebounds.
The Golden Gophers had a few chances to take the lead late, but turnovers and missed free throws kept them from coming away with victory. Minnesota made just one of its final five attempts at the line.
In advance statistics, USC's true shooting percentage was a respectable 54.3% compared to Minnesota's 50.3%. The Golden Gophers' opponent eFG% (48.4%) and offensive rebounding rate (45.5%) were better than the Trojans', but USC's free-throw rate (29.8%) edged out Minnesota's (24.2%).
Baker-Mazara's hot shooting set up an interesting matchup between the two teams, with Baker-Mazara making 4 of his final five field goal attempts to help seal the win.
The win marked a bounce-back for USC after back-to-back losses and kept the Trojans in conference contention. Minnesota fell to 1-5 on the season but remains competitive in the Big Ten.