Late Run Dooms USC Men’s Basketball in 71-70 Loss to Oregon

Saturday, February 21

Los Angeles, Calif.

1 p.m.

USC

18-9,7-9Big Ten

Oregon

10-17,3-13Big Ten

Oregon

Southern California

Late Run Dooms USC Men’s Basketball in 71-70 Loss to Oregon

February 21, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Press Conference

Alijah Arenas and Ezra Ausar scored 22 of USC’s 38 second-half points to help the Trojans rally in the second half.

LOS ANGELES — Despite leading by six points with 70 seconds to play, USC Men's Basketball (18-9, 7-9 Big Ten) fell 71-70 to Oregon (10-17, 3-13 Big Ten) at the Galen Center on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Trailing 70-69 with 10.2 seconds to go, Oregon lofted an inbounds pass to Nate Bittle, who drew a shooting foul underneath the basket. Bittle made both free throws, and the Trojans turned the ball over on their final possession to wrap up the Trojans' loss.

Ezra Ausar and Alijah Arenas scored 22 of USC's 38 second-half points to help rally the Trojans after the team trailed at halftime. Ausar recorded his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Arenas finished with 13 points and tied his career high with five assists. Chad Baker-Mazara led the Trojans with 21 points on 6-for-11 shooting off the bench, while Jacob Cofie smashed his career high with five blocks while chipping in nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Despite winning the battle of the boards, committing fewer turnovers and out-shooting Oregon from three-point range, the Trojans were outshot by the Ducks, who connected on 45.1% of their field goals — including 52.4% in the second half — compared to USC's 38.3% clip. USC failed to make a field goal in the last 2 minutes and 23 seconds of action, which allowed Oregon to come back.

HOW IT HAPPENED
USC dictated the pace of play early thanks to stellar interior defense from Jacob Cofie and 10 consecutive points from Chad Baker-Mazara off the bench. A block from Cofie led to two quick points from Baker-Mazara, who sped through the trees and made a difficult layup in transition to put USC up 10-9 with 14:12 to play.

Less than a minute later, Kam Woods corralled a long rebound and flipped the ball down court to Baker-Mazara, who nailed a transition three in front of Oregon's bench. Baker-Mazara continued to give the Trojans quick scoring: His second three-pointer of the night gave USC an 18-12 advantage with just over nine minutes to go in the half.

Although USC successfully chased Oregon off the three-point line, the Ducks had an 8-0 run to coincide with a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought for the Trojans that helped them take a 26-25 lead. USC would make just three more field goals in the final five minutes of the first half, as Oregon took a 35-32 halftime lead.

The second half was a chippier and more defensive affair. As both teams ratcheted up their defensive intensity, the Ducks went on a 6-0 run to push their lead to five, 48-35, before Kam Woods and Ausar scored on back-to-back possessions.

With the Trojans down 47-44, Arenas took over by scoring two mid-range jumpers off the bounce and drew contact on another shot attempt before helping USC get the lead back on a pair of free throws. Cofie also drew a shooting foul and converted both free throws to cap off the 8-0 run. Once Ausar settled into his rhythm, he and Arenas almost singlehandedly pulled the Trojans back in the game, scoring 22 of the Trojans' 38 second-half points combined.

USC went on one more run with seven minutes left in the game. Cofie made a pair of free throws, then Arenas scored five straight to give the Trojans a 63-58 lead, which was their largest of the second half. In the final five minutes, USC would make just one field goal — an emphatic dunk from Baker-Mazara to put USC up 69-64 with 2:23 to go — that appeared to be the nail in the coffin. Cofie would split a pair of free throws with 70 seconds left to make the score 70-64.

With less than a minute to play, Oregon's Kwame Evans Jr. drew contact after making a layup, yet the Ducks recovered the missed free throw and found Evans Jr. on the right wing, who made a three in front of his team's bench to complete the rare five-point possession and pull the Ducks within one, 70-69. However, USC came up empty on its final possession, which led to Bittle's game-saving heroics on the other end.

NOTABLES

Jacob Cofie logged a career-high five blocks against the Ducks. He has eight games this season with three or more rim rejections. Cofie also scored his 500th career point this afternoon.
With 15 points and 11 rebounds, Ezra Ausar has posted his second consecutive double-double and his third of the season. He has scored double figures in 24 of 26 games this season.
Alijah Arenas set a new career-high with five assists. He also recorded 13 points, two steals and one block.
With five assists today, Kam Woods surpassed his 350th career assist milestone. He ended the game with six points, five rebounds and five steals.
Chad Baker-Mazara recorded his 10th game this season with 20+ points. His 13 first-half points marked his 11th occasion with double digits in the first 20 minutes of action.
This is the second time this season four Trojans recorded multiple steals (last: Ohio State on Feb. 11)
USC is now 7-2 in one-possession games this season. The Trojans have played 13 games decided by six points or less, which leads all high-major schools.
The Trojans are now 70-65 all-time against Oregon, and Coach Eric Musselman is 1-3 all-time against the Ducks.
Tonight's starting lineup featured Kam Woods, Alijah Arenas, Jacob Cofie, Ezra Ausar and Terrance Williams II. This is the 13th lineup of the season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on the team's response to the loss…
"They knew what was at stake. We win this game; we're in a really good spot. You lose this game, you're in a really difficult, tough spot. Somehow, we gotta try to regroup."

Coach Eric Musselman on Jacob Cofie's performance…
"He's lively off his feet. He's been playing the small forward, and now he moved back to the power forward. I thought he did a great job with his interior defense. He's a vital piece for us."

Jaden Brownell on takeaways from the last minute of the game…
"We just have to stay more composed. They're trying to speed us up with their press. The biggest thing is just staying composed and making sure we're doing what we work on in practice."

Ryan Cornish on the keys to the team's future success…
"Just keep holding each other accountable and be the best versions of ourselves every day. As long as we can really focus on one day at a time."

UP NEXT
USC will face crosstown rival UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tip-off will be at 8 p.m. PT on FS1. Fans can also listen through ESPN LA 710.