For Trojans, a shot at revenge
In previous meeting, Stanford’s Davis sank a 50-foot shot at the buzzer for the win.
Jordan McLaughlin couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw it the first time, so the USC point guard watched the film again and again.
The ending never changed: Stanford’s Daejon Davis drained a 50-foot shot as the buzzer sounded to defeat the Trojans 77-76.
“I just couldn’t believe it went in,” McLaughlin said Tuesday after practice. “After he shot it, I was like, I said to myself, ‘That didn’t just go in.’ ”
Davis’ winner handed the Trojans their second Pac-12 Conference loss.
But they’ve been on a roll since.
The Trojans (11-9, 5-2 Pac-12) are on a four-game win streak and in second place in the conference as they prepare to play Stanford (11-9, 5-2) for a second time Wednesday at the Galen Center.
Forward Chimezie Metu said the early January loss inspired more consistent play on defense after they surrendered a 15-point lead in a 10-minute span and allowed the last-second basket.
“We went back and watched film and have buckled in,” said Metu, who is averaging 16.6 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.
The Trojans have held their last four opponents to 70 or fewer points and are leading the conference in assist-to-turnover margin, averaging 16.3 and 11.2 per game.
McLaughlin, averaging 13.9 points, 7.5 assists and two steals, said the defensive effort has translated to offense and that the team won’t soon forget the result of a letdown.
“Coach keeps bringing it up,” McLaughlin said, “saying we played well ever since that 10-minute span where we let up.
“But ever since then we’ve been playing really good basketball.”
TONIGHT
VS. STANFORD When: 6. Where: Galen Center. On the air: TV: ESPNU; Radio: 710. Update: The Trojans snapped their 14-game losing streak to Oregon and defeated the Ducks in Eugene for the first time since 2009. ... Stanford defeated No. 16 Arizona State, then had a five-game winning streak snapped by No. 14 Arizona at Maples Pavilion . ... Fourthyear junior forward Reid Travis leads the Cardinal in scoring, averaging 20 points per game. Four Cardinal players average double figures.