USC men fight to final minute in loss to No. 5 Purdue

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 despite a poor shooting night and had them against the ropes in a one-possession game with 15 seconds on the clock.

But 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.

“Every game is difficult in this league,” USC head coach Eric Musselman told reporters after the game. “Every game starts 0-0, so there’s no carryover. We got Northwestern next and then two road games, so we gotta turn the page and get ready for Northwestern.”

The Trojans (14-4 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) out-rebounded the Boilermakers (17-1, 7-0) 40-32 and dominated in the paint with 40 points compared to Purdue’s 28. 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.

USC struggled from range and made just 15% of its 3-point attempts. The Trojans shifted tactics and used their physicality to push for control of the game and to get to the free-throw line, a strategy that has been effective for the team in the past. However, the Trojans’ five made free throws out of the 14 attempts were futile.

Point guard Jordan Marsh, who missed two free throws within the last six seconds of the game, was seen practicing his shot after the game had ended.

“We gotta make foul shots,” Musselman said. “It’s inexcusable to shoot 35% in a college basketball game.”

The Trojans started the game more optimistically, winning the opening tip and charging ahead. They took advantage of every defensive rebound and turned 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.

“I feel like we can beat anyone if we play our game,” Cofie said. “I mean, we have a lot of talent on our team, still, with injuries, and I feel like we can beat good teams.”

Seven-foot-5 center Gabe 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.

The Boilermakers had their own dominant center in Cluff, who is 6-foot-11. He 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.

“If you’re 7-5, you can still get scored on,” Cluff said of getting through Dynes. “I like playing against anyone. Everyone’s different and has different styles. It’s just fun.”

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. He 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.

“He’s a pretty big dude,” Cofie said of Cluff. “I matched up with him a few times. I think we had to get him off the glass, and he did a good job finishing today.”

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.

USC was also playing without Jerry Easter II, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard, who Musselman had planned to match up with Smith. Easter missed the game due to illness.

Including Easter, USC was missing four players from the roster it had assembled prior to the season. Rodney Rice, Amarion Dickerson and Alijah Arenas are all out due to injury.

Although that’s limited the Trojans in many ways, it’s also given them an element of unpredictability.

“They have some guys who will play 30 minutes one week and next week they’ll play 19 minutes,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “When (Musselman) gets something that works, he sticks with it. He really sticks with it. And for a coach, you want to know what’s coming. You want to know who’s playing. For me, that’s hard to go against.”

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 at the start of the second half, 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 the team 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, putting the foul trouble out of his mind.

“You still gotta play hard, but you still gotta play smart,” Cluff said, “because you don’t want to foul. It’s just something that comes with basketball. You can pick that up and adjust and not let that take over the emotions, then it helps out a lot.”