Late 3 lifts USC to upset of SMU
TULSA, Okla. — For the second straight NCAA Tournament game, Southern California overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to win.
Elijah Stewart hit a late 3pointer for No. 11 seed USC as the Trojans upset sixth-seeded SMU 66-65 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
USC trailed SMU by 10 in the second half. The Trojans trailed Providence by 17 in the second half of their First Four game on Wednesday night before winning 75-71.
Apparently, they don’t know how to quit.
“We just had to keep fighting back,” Stewart said. “We’ve been in those positions before. So we’re kind of seasoned to it. And you just can’t stop. You just got to keep going.”
Stewart had 22 points for the Trojans (26-9), including the game-deciding 3 with 37 seconds to play.
“We ran the play previously before, and I was open,” Stewart said. “And then we had the media timeout. We discussed it. We ran the same play again, and I was open, and I just let muscle memory take place.”
Bennie Boatright and Chimezie Metu each added 14 points for USC, which advanced to play third-seeded Baylor in the second round of the East region on Sunday.
SMU’s Shake Milton missed a floater at the buzzer that would have won it for the Mustangs.
“There used to be a show on TV when I was little talking about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” SMU coach Tim Jankovich said. “I think it was Wide World of Sports. I can certainly relate to that show right now.”
Stewart noticed that SMU wasn’t sure what it was going to do in the final sequence.
“I noticed that two players were arguing about who was going to take the last shot,” Stewart said. “Usually, when something like that happens, like whoever shoots it, it just messes with you. The floater was short, and I felt like if — like it could have went either way, honestly. I was just — I had my eyes closed.”
Semi Ojeleye had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Sterling Brown had 17 points for SMU (30-5), which had won 16 straight. The Mustangs’ last loss had been on Jan. 12.
SMU was in the NCAA Tournament after being banned from postseason play a year ago for multiple violations, including academic fraud and unethical conduct.
“Today is obviously an incredible heartbreak,” Jankovich said. “If ever there was a team to deserve some great things, some more great things to happen, particularly this time of year, it was these guys.”
Big picture — USC: When the Trojans play Baylor, it will be their third NCAA Tournament game in five days. But at least the Trojans won’t have to travel. After the game against Providence in Dayton, Ohio, the team got to Tulsa at 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
SMU: Getting back to the NCAA Tournament was a big deal for the Mustangs, who qualified in 2015. SMU won the American Athletic Conference regular season and postseason titles.
Stat lines — USC shot 58.3 percent in the second half and made 9 of 11 shots inside the 3point line after the break. The Trojans shot 48 percent overall and made a remarkable 16 of 22 shots inside the arc.
Short rotation — SMU only used six players, and its bench did not score. USC got 47 minutes out of its reserves to 18 for SMU.
Quotable — SMU’s Ben Moore, who missed a free throw with 12 seconds left: “Right now, I got a big knot in my throat that I’m trying to ignore it. And I let a lot of people down in the locker room that I didn’t want to with missing that free throw. But I’m glad we had a great season. I’m glad we did what we did this year.”
Up next: USC: Will play Baylor Sunday in the second round.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Charley Hoffman wasn’t expecting to be at Bay Hill until he didn’t qualify for a World Golf Championship next week.
The change in plans has worked out nicely so far.
In only his fourth appearance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational over the last decade, Hoffman made seven birdies in slightly warmer conditions Friday for a 6-under 66 that gave him a oneshot lead over Emiliano Grillo of Argentina.
Grillo made two eagles on his opening nine, holing a 35yard bunker shot on the par-5 12th and chipping in from just off the green on the par-5 16th. He made birdies on the par 5s on the front nine that carried him to a 68.
Matt Fitzpatrick of England had four birdies on the back nine for a 69 and was two shots behind.
Hoffman was at 10-under 134.
Sam Saunders, the 29-yearold grandson of Palmer, had three straight bogeys around the turn and never caught up. He wound up with another 74 and missed the cut by one shot in the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the death of the beloved tournament host last September.
“I don’t know, I’ve got a monkey on my back there where I just always seem to work my way toward that cut number and think about it too much,” Saunders said. “It’s all part of the learning experience, and just got to get better.”
The cut was 3-over 147. Two players who missed the cut at least provided some entertainment.
British Open champion Henrik Stenson hit three balls out of the water, including two on one hole. His blast from the pond short of the 11th green barely made it out and rolled down the slope, only to be caught by a tuft of grass. His next chip rolled back down the slope and into the water, leading to a triple bogey. He also played out of the water on the 16th. Stenson shot 74.
One day after Cody Gribble grabbed the tail of an 8-foot alligator, spooking it back into the lake, Smylie Kaufman was walking along and didn’t see the gator. He jumped back in fright when he spotted it. The gator didn’t move.
Hoffman knows all about missing the cut at Bay Hill. He has left early three times in four previous trips to Bay Hill. The exception was in 2012, when he tied for 59th. He had only one sub-70 round, a 69 on the first day in 2013. He shot 79 the next day and missed the cut. That was four years ago, the last time he played.
Hoffman only had to finish 41st at the Valspar Championship last week to get one of the 64 available spots through the world ranking for the Dell Technologies Match Play next week in Austin, Texas. Instead, he missed the cut and will be the second alternate, unlikely to get in.
So he added Bay Hill, a decision that was even easier because it was the first one without Palmer.
“I played halfway decent the first round last time I was here,” he said. “In the schedule, it hasn’t fallen where I would like in the past. I wasn’t in Match Play, and then obviously honoring Arnie is not a hard thing to come here and play.”
Palmer died in September, and the week has been a tribute to him, from the 13-foot bronze statue near the first and 10th tees to his signature umbrella logo worn by players on their apparel, golf bags and fairway metal covers.
Saunders played with Rory McIlroy, who had another mixed bag and shot 71 to finish at 1-over 145, leaving him 11 shots out of the lead.
Defending champion Jason Day was 1 over for his round until he hit a 340-yard drive on the par-5 16th, hit a short iron to 8 feet and made the eagle putt. He saved par on the final hole with a 5-foot putt for a 71 and was at 3-under 141, still in range with 36 holes to play with hopes of extending a peculiar streak at Bay Hill. Tiger Woods won back to back and then Matt Every won back to back over the last four years.
Every shot a 70 to make the cut, ending a streak of 18 consecutive PGA Tour starts where he failed to make the cut.
Grillo has been spending most of his time working on his short game, noticing a month ago that his putter moved back and through like a figure 8. He didn’t need a putter for his two eagles, though he saved par with a 10-foot putt on the 18th as he made the turn.
He was tied for the lead until missing an 8-foot par putt on No. 8, though he still goes into the weekend playing in the final group.
“Just play from the fairway. That’s going to be key,” Grillo said. “Somehow, I managed to shoot a very good round considering how bad I hit it off the tee today.”