Vince Iwuchukwu’s big game is not enough as USC loses at Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Glenn Taylor Jr. scored 18 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, Jordan Pope added 16 points, and Oregon State defeated USC 61-58 on Saturday.

After trailing by 11 points early in the second half, the Trojans got to within one point when Vince Iwuchukwu converted a three-point play with 4:09 left. USC cut its deficit to one point twice more before Iwuchukwu hit two free throws for a 58-57 lead with 1:09 to go.

USC Sports

USC’s poor shooting leads to blowout loss to Oregon

Boogie Ellis scored 19 points and four assists, but USC’s poor shooting led to a 78-60 blowout loss to Oregon on Thursday.

Feb. 9, 2023

Iwuchukwu blocked a layup attempt by Taylor, but Taylor got the rebound and converted the putback to give Oregon State a 59-58 lead with 35 seconds left. After a miss by USC, the Trojans fouled Pope, who made both free throws on a one-and-one for a three-point lead with 19 seconds remaining.

USC called a timeout with six seconds left, and Boogie Ellis missed a three-point attempt as time ran out.

USC’s Vince Iwuchukwu, left, and Drew Peterson, middle, reach for a rebound alongside Oregon State’s Glenn Taylor Jr. Iwuchukwu had 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

Taylor grabbed 10 rebounds for his third-career double-double and second this season for the Beavers (10-16, 4-11 Pac-12 Conference). He and Pope scored all of Oregon State’s 10 points in the final five minutes.

Iwuchukwu, a 7-foot-1 freshman, set career highs with 19 points and seven rebounds and also blocked three shots for the Trojans. He made all nine of his free-throw attempts and also scored nine of USC’s final 11 points.

Iwuchukwu, who suffered cardiac arrest during a workout last summer, played in his ninth game this season and set a career high with 25 minutes of playing time. Drew Peterson contributed 11 points for the Trojans (17-8, 9-5), who lost a second straight game. They fell 78-60 at Oregon on Thursday night.

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Oregon State trailed 25-24 late in the first half before Taylor completed a three-point play, Taylor added a layup and Pope nailed a three-pointer for a 30-25 lead at the break. Both teams shot only 31% in the first half. The second-half shooting wasn’t much different, with USC finishing at 32% and Oregon State at 31%.

Oregon State plays at Washington State on Thursday. USC hosts California on Thursday.

Trojans coach Andy Enfield reacts after a call during the first half.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)