LOS ANGELES – With the basketball season beginning to slip away from USC, the Trojans made a stand Sunday night against Arizona State.
Once 14-0, USC lost four of six to fall out of the national top 25 and into a tie for sixth in the Pac-12. With No. 3 UCLA looming ahead of Wednesday, the Trojans were borderline desperate for a win to stop the bleeding. Yet ASU was within one, 63-62, with 9:19 left thanks to a 15-4 run at the Galen Center.
After a timeout with 7:17 left, USC put in the dagger with 3-pointers by Elijah Stewart, who was raining them in all night, and two by Jonah Mathews, rebuilding their lead to 79-67.