LOS ANGELES — Joseph Young and Oregon knew that USC had lost a lot of close games, and they weren’t going to let Wednesday night’s matchup result in the Trojans’ breakthrough win.
Young scored 26 points to lead Oregon to an 80-75 win. Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook each scored 15 points as the Ducks (18-7, 8-4 Pac-12) never trailed and won their fourth straight.
Young scored on a drive to give Oregon a 72-62 lead after USC went on a 5-0 run. He made a 3-pointer from the corner out of a media timeout to put the Ducks ahead 64-51. Young broke a 41-41 tie with three straight baskets early in the second half on a jumper, a layup and a 3-pointer.
He played with a banged-up right hand late in the game, but the Pac-12’s second-leading scorer relishes clutch moments.
“I’m feeling pretty comfortable,” Young said. “Coach, he trusts me. I’ve been doing it for a long time and I’m not scared to make plays. I had six turnovers. I should have got out of the game when Coach mentioned it, but I tried to be a tough guy. Next time I just need to get a break.”
Julian Jacobs scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Trojans (9-15, 1-11), who have lost nine straight, their longest losing streak since they dropped 10 in a row last season. USC pulled to 76-73 on Jacobs’ drive with one minute left before Kahlil Dukes missed a 3-point attempt.
Trojans point guard Jordan McLaughlin left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated Thursday, the school announced.
Young effectively sealed the season-series sweep with two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. Cook provided a key rebound and assisted Young on the go-ahead basket at 43-41 and got another rebound late to hold off the pesky Trojans.
“Five of their last six losses, with the exception of Utah, have all gone down like this,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said of USC. “They’re going to get over the hump. I’m glad they didn’t get over the hump against us.”
Oregon took a 35-27 lead into halftime behind Young’s 10 points. The Ducks shot 50 percent in the first half and led by 14 points on a breakaway dunk by Jordan Bell.
USC missed 11 of its first 13 field-goal attempts and shot 33 percent in the first half.
“We’ve been competing in every game,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “We got off to a slow start tonight. We missed six or seven layups and it deflated our guys. We missed easy shots and Oregon made its shots. It’s hard to beat a good team when you can’t make easy shots.”
TIP-INS
Oregon: Jordan Bell had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and four rebounds after he was suspended the previous game for an incident involving a parking citation. … The Ducks have won 10 straight against the Trojans, the longest streak in the series.
USC: Five of the Trojans’ past nine losses have been by five points or fewer. The Trojans lost despite shooting 47 percent from the field. … USC held its previous six opponents to a combined 41 percent shooting but allowed Oregon to shoot 58 percent.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
“Give him the ball. Let him go.” — Oregon’s Elgin Cook on what it’s like when teammate Joseph Young takes over a game.
MILESTONES
Oregon coach Dana Altman is one win shy of tying Don Monson for fifth-most victories in school history at 116. . Oregon’s Bell needs one block to tie Robin Lopez of Stanford for the second-most by a freshman in Pac-12 history (73) and three to move into a tie for fourth on the school’s all-time list.
NEXT UP
Oregon visits UCLA on Saturday.
USC is host to Oregon State on Saturday.
