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Tuesday, December 19
Los Angeles, Calif.
11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT
Princeton University
103
at
93
USC
The Tiger reserves celebrate during Princeton's 103-93 OT win over USC.
Men's Basketball Team Stuns Preseason Top-10 USC, 103-93
December 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Myles Stephens had a career high with 30 points, Sebastian Much had a career high with 19 points, and all 17 on the roster had a win they'll never forget Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Princeton men's basketball team rolled into the Galen Center and left with a 103-93 overtime win over a USC team that was ranked No. 10 in the nation in the preseason AP poll. And although the Tigers led by as many as 11 points, last with eight minutes to go in the game, the Trojans didn't go quietly.
Princeton led by seven with 46 seconds to go, but USC's strategy of making the Tigers earn it from the line and trading free throws for 3-pointers worked to get the game to overtime. The Tiger lead stood at six with 33 seconds left after two Devin Cannady free throws, and after the Trojans' Jordan McLaughlin answered with a 3-pointer, Amir Bell split from the line to make it a two-possession game at 86-82, now with 20 seconds left. McLaughlin needed just five seconds to cut the USC deficit to two with a drive to the bucket, and a Tiger turnover just after the inbound pass gave USC the chance to send McLaughlin to the bucket again, this time to tie it at 86-86. Princeton had one last possession, but a Much 3 hit iron.
In the OT, USC scored on the opening possesion and then led 91-90 after a Jordan Usher 3-pointer, but Princeton responded to that with a 9-0 run that kept USC off the board more than two minutes as the Tigers built a 99-91 with just 78 seconds to play. This time, the Tigers closed it out.
Princeton and USC traded runs early, with the Tigers getting out to a 10-3 lead before the Trojans caught up at 12-12 only to see Princeton get back in front 23-16 with less than nine minutes to go before the half. USC then went on an 18-2 run to go up 34-25 with less than three minutes before the break, but the Tigers chipped away and were within three at the half at 36-33 with Jerome Desrosiers tipping in a Cannady missed 3 at the buzzer.
The Tigers were able to keep that momentum and put together a 12-4 run bridging halftime to take a 37-36 lead two minutes into the second half. Princeton led for most of the period before USC's late push that sent the game to OT.
Postgame Notes
• This was just the second meeting between USC and Princeton. USC won at a Palestra-hosted tournament in 1972, 70-52.
• The win was Princeton's first against a Pac-12 (or Pac-10) school since the NCAA Tournament win over UCLA in 1996. Princeton had lost seven straight to Pac-12 teams since, five of which came to Cal with the other two to Stanford and Arizona State.
• Princeton has shot .508 (62-122) from the field over the last two games. The Tigers have put in 43 3s over the last three games, all wins.
• The 103 points were Princeton's most against a Division I team since scoring 104 in regulation against Lafayette on Nov. 25, 2015. Princeton hadn't scored 100 on the road since putting up 116 at Dartmouth on Jan. 14, 1967, when Princeton was ranked seventh in the country by the AP.
• Amir Bell had a career-high nine assists, three more than his previous career best, and a career-high five steals, one more than his previous best, doing so in a career-high 43 minutes. Bell's 18 points were his most since the season opener at Butler, where he had 22.
• Devin Cannady had a season-high nine rebounds and a season-high four assists in a career-high 45 minutes. Cannady has played the entirety of five of the team's 11 games this season, including four of the last seven.
• Jerome Desrosiers had a career-high six rebounds.
• Sebastian Much has reset his career best in back-to-back games in scoring and 3-pointers, with 12 points and four 3s at Cal Poly and 19 points and five 3s at USC. His 41 minutes were also a career high.
• Myles Stephens added career bests with nine rebounds, eight free throws (in eight chances) and 44 minutes.
The Princeton men's basketball team rolled into the Galen Center and left with a 103-93 overtime win over a USC team that was ranked No. 10 in the nation in the preseason AP poll. And although the Tigers led by as many as 11 points, last with eight minutes to go in the game, the Trojans didn't go quietly.
Princeton led by seven with 46 seconds to go, but USC's strategy of making the Tigers earn it from the line and trading free throws for 3-pointers worked to get the game to overtime. The Tiger lead stood at six with 33 seconds left after two Devin Cannady free throws, and after the Trojans' Jordan McLaughlin answered with a 3-pointer, Amir Bell split from the line to make it a two-possession game at 86-82, now with 20 seconds left. McLaughlin needed just five seconds to cut the USC deficit to two with a drive to the bucket, and a Tiger turnover just after the inbound pass gave USC the chance to send McLaughlin to the bucket again, this time to tie it at 86-86. Princeton had one last possession, but a Much 3 hit iron.
In the OT, USC scored on the opening possesion and then led 91-90 after a Jordan Usher 3-pointer, but Princeton responded to that with a 9-0 run that kept USC off the board more than two minutes as the Tigers built a 99-91 with just 78 seconds to play. This time, the Tigers closed it out.
Princeton and USC traded runs early, with the Tigers getting out to a 10-3 lead before the Trojans caught up at 12-12 only to see Princeton get back in front 23-16 with less than nine minutes to go before the half. USC then went on an 18-2 run to go up 34-25 with less than three minutes before the break, but the Tigers chipped away and were within three at the half at 36-33 with Jerome Desrosiers tipping in a Cannady missed 3 at the buzzer.
The Tigers were able to keep that momentum and put together a 12-4 run bridging halftime to take a 37-36 lead two minutes into the second half. Princeton led for most of the period before USC's late push that sent the game to OT.
Postgame Notes
• This was just the second meeting between USC and Princeton. USC won at a Palestra-hosted tournament in 1972, 70-52.
• The win was Princeton's first against a Pac-12 (or Pac-10) school since the NCAA Tournament win over UCLA in 1996. Princeton had lost seven straight to Pac-12 teams since, five of which came to Cal with the other two to Stanford and Arizona State.
• Princeton has shot .508 (62-122) from the field over the last two games. The Tigers have put in 43 3s over the last three games, all wins.
• The 103 points were Princeton's most against a Division I team since scoring 104 in regulation against Lafayette on Nov. 25, 2015. Princeton hadn't scored 100 on the road since putting up 116 at Dartmouth on Jan. 14, 1967, when Princeton was ranked seventh in the country by the AP.
• Amir Bell had a career-high nine assists, three more than his previous career best, and a career-high five steals, one more than his previous best, doing so in a career-high 43 minutes. Bell's 18 points were his most since the season opener at Butler, where he had 22.
• Devin Cannady had a season-high nine rebounds and a season-high four assists in a career-high 45 minutes. Cannady has played the entirety of five of the team's 11 games this season, including four of the last seven.
• Jerome Desrosiers had a career-high six rebounds.
• Sebastian Much has reset his career best in back-to-back games in scoring and 3-pointers, with 12 points and four 3s at Cal Poly and 19 points and five 3s at USC. His 41 minutes were also a career high.
• Myles Stephens added career bests with nine rebounds, eight free throws (in eight chances) and 44 minutes.
Players Mentioned
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