Alijah Arenas’ Game-Winner Lifts USC Men’s Basketball over Penn State

Sunday, February 8

University Park, Pa.

9 a.m.

USC

18-6,7-6Big Ten

Penn State

10-14,1-12Big Ten

Southern California

Penn St.

Alijah Arenas’ Game-Winner Lifts USC Men’s Basketball over Penn State

February 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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USC earned its seventh win in one-possession games with a 77-75 victory over the Nittany Lions.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Alijah Arenas' go-ahead layup with 0.7 seconds left helped USC Men's Basketball (18-6, 7-6 Big Ten) escape with a 77-75 win over Penn State (10-14, 1-12 Big Ten) in the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.

With seven seconds left and the game tied at 75, USC inbounded the ball to Arenas on the right wing, who spun to the basket and finished a contested layup to seal the win for the Trojans. The layup capped off a sizable comeback for USC, which trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half. No stranger to playing close games, the Trojans now have seven wins by three points or less, which leads all high-major programs.

Arenas led all scorers with 24 points — including 11 points in the final four minutes — while Kam Woods and Ezra Ausar chipped in 13 points apiece. Woods also finished with a season-high nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. Jacob Cofie rounded out USC's double-figure scoring with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Marsh added nine points in 22 minutes off the bench.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams played a close first half as neither team led by more than four points until the final three minutes of the game. Alijah Arenas started strong by scoring seven of USC's first 11 points, while Jacob Cofie added interior scoring to help the Trojans. Jordan Marsh's three with 12:33 to put the Trojans up 14-10, yet the Penn State offense — which shoots at 32.6% from three this season — made three consecutive shots from beyond the arc to reclaim the lead.

USC got a lift with nine first-half points from Ezra Ausar, including back-to-back transition dunks that gave the Trojans a 27-25 lead with 7:23 remaining in the first half. With six minutes left in the half, Marsh nailed a corner three, then he and Kam Woods helped force a turnover on the next possession that led to an Arenas fast-break layup to give USC a 32-28 lead. Ausar's fourth field goal of the half allowed USC to maintain a four-point lead, but Penn State closed the half on a 10-2 run to take a 40-36 lead at halftime.

Penn State opened the second half on a 10-1 run to go up 50-38. Trailing 53-42 at the under-16 timeout, USC's defense helped the Trojans claw back in the game. While the defense forced four Penn State turnovers, the Trojan offense went on a 9-0 run, capped off by a corner three from Marsh to pull USC within two, 53-51. But five-straight points from Woods finally gave USC a 56-55 advantage — its first lead of the second half.

After going seven minutes without a field goal, Penn State's offense woke up late in the game and went on a 7-0 run to go up 65-64.

But the final four minutes belonged to Arenas, who scored 11 of USC's final 13 points. With 4:24 to play, Gabe Dynes fought for an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Arenas, who nailed a straight-away three to swing USC back in front, 67-65. Then, with less than two minutes to go, Arenas benefited from a friendly bounce on a three from the right wing to put the Trojans up 72-68.

Penn State wouldn't go quietly. Josh Reed made a three-pointer to cut USC's lead to one, then the Nittany Lions pulled within one point again off a Dominick Stewart layup with 20 seconds to go. Arenas went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute before Fred Dilione V tied the game at 75 with 12 seconds left, which set up the game-winning play from Arenas on USC's final possession.

NOTABLES

Alijah Arenas finished with his second-straight game with 20 or more points, ending the afternoon with 24. He also had a season-high two steals.
Kam Woods had a season-high nine assists in today's game. With four steals, this marks his eighth game this season with two or more steals.
Ezra Ausar was the first Trojan to hit double-digits. With 13 points, this is his 15th consecutive double-digit game.
Gabe Dynes tied his season-high of four blocks in today's game. He also recorded seven rebounds.
Jacob Cofie concluded his 11th game with double-digit points this season, contributing 10 points.
USC is now 7-1 in one-possession games this season. The Trojans have played 12 games decided by six points or less, which leads all high-major schools.
This is the first time since joining the Big Ten that USC has won three straight games.
USC is now 2-2 all-time against the Nittany Lions, and Coach Eric Musselman is 2-0 all-time against Penn State.
USC debuted a new starting lineup featuring Kam Woods, Ryan Cornish, Alijah Arenas, Jacob Cofie and Ezra Ausar. This lineup is now 1-0 on the season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on the progression of the game…
"Obviously, you're fighting human nature a little bit with an early start. Super proud of our second-half effort. I thought we were really sluggish in the first half - didn't play our normal defensive intensity. I thought when we put Alijah Arenas on Freddie Dilione V, it changed the complexion by making it a little harder for him to shoot over length."

Coach Eric Musselman on the performance of the Trojans' guards…
"Certainly off the bench, Jordan Marsh and Gabe Dynes gave us an absolutely huge lift - Gabe Dynes with the four shot blocks, he did a great job protecting the rim and altering shots. Jordan Marsh, especially when they went zone, he became a three-point threat for us with two threes in the first half. Kam Woods leads our team in steals, and he joined us just a couple of weeks ago. We were severely lacking in creating extra possessions through defensive creativity on steals, and Kam Woods has changed our entire season since he came.

Coach Eric Musselman on Alijah Arenas' performance…
"Alijah Arenas has been phenomenal. Obviously, we wanted to put the ball in his hands at the end of the game, and I'm glad we got his iso at the top of the key - I was a little worried he would be denied the catch, but there was great execution with a couple of good screens."

UP NEXT
USC will head to the Midwest as it prepares to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tip-off will be at 3:30 p.m. PT on the Big Ten Network. Fans can also follow along with the radio broadcast on the USC Game Day App.