The USC Trojans needed overtime to take down the Texas Longhorns, 59-53, Tuesday night in the EA Sports Maui Invitational in Hawaii, sending Rick Barnes' beleaguered squad to its second consecutive loss.
Texas vs. USC final score: Trojans topple Longhorns in OT
USC never trailed in the extra period, sending Texas to its second straight defeat and a bout of worrying about Rick Barnes’ squad.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
The Trojans (3-1) matched the Longhorns (2-2) point for point throughout the game; both teams scored 26 each in the first half and 21 apiece in the second. USC got four key free throws from J.T. Terrell late in overtime to seal the win and hold off Texas. Eric Wise, Byron Wesley and Jio Fontan combined for 34 points for USC, while junior center Dewayne Dedmon chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Texas showed again that they miss the contributions of sophomore point guard Myck Kabongo, who is still out of the lineup amid eligibility concerns. The Longhorns got 17 points from sophomore guard Julien Lewis and ten from freshman forward Ioannis Papapetrou, but turned the ball over 15 times and grabbed only four offensive rebounds. The Longhorns' loss comes on the heels of an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Division II school Chaminade, the host of the tournament.
The Longhorns will drop further down the consolation bracket and play Mississippi State in the tournament's 7th/8th-place game, set to tip Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, while the Trojans square off with Marquette in the 5th/6th-place contest, Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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