USC’s upset bid falls frustratingly short in season-ending loss to Purdue
USC guard Desmond Claude drives against Purdue forward Camden Heide during the second half Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. (Michael Conroy / AP)
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — INDIANAPOLIS — Desmond Claude sprinted as fast as he could down the hardwood, knowing the season was in his hands and precious time was ticking off the clock. He already tried once before to tie it, flying into the fray for a floater that bounced off the back iron.
But a missed free throw gave Claude hope as he came flying across halfcourt, only for his handoff pass to be snatched amid a crashing collection of bodies. Suddenly, after such a gutsy fight, any hope of USC’s season surviving had slipped away in a 76-71 loss to Purdue.
The season-ending steal was not without controversy. Wesley Yates threw his hands up in disbelief. Coach Eric Musselman whispered expletives under his breath, shaking his head.
All game, USC (16-17) had held in a deadlock with Purdue (22-10), refusing to let up. Even as the roars of Purdue fans echoed with each back-and-forth run, USC kept coming back. They fought through early foul trouble from Claude, who finished with 18 points, and early struggles with Yates, who had 13 points.
They’d already been through a battle the night before, a double-overtime thriller that saw all five of the Trojans’ starters play more than 40 minutes. But all season, Musselman had pushed his small rotation to the brink, and Thursday, USC showed no signs of slowing.
It survived without its top scorer for long stretches. Claude picked up two quick fouls in the first half, and Musselman chose to sit him for the final 13 minutes. He returned in the second half, only to draw two more quick fouls.
With both teams deadlocked, Musselman brought Claude back in with just over 10 minutes remaining, knowing he had no other choice. From there, the Trojans floor general made up for lost time, in spite of his four fouls. He shook off a defender and hit a pull-up. Then he did it again. And again.
Claude scored 10 straight for the Trojans, hitting a pull-up with under a minute remaining to tie it.
With 28 seconds left and the game tied 71-71, Rashaun Agee was called for a foul, sending Purdue’s leading scorer, Trey Kaufman-Renn to the line. He hit both, and tied a career high with 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting. The Trojans had no answer for him.
Claude wasted no time in trying to tie it up again, flying through the lane for a floater. But it bounced off the iron. He finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Claude undoubtedly would have scored more points, but he only played 21 minutes due to his persistent foul trouble.
USC got one more chance, after Kaufman-Renn missed another free throw. This time, though, their last hopes was stripped at halfcourt.
“This is probably the most difficult game I’ve ever lost with a team, and I’ve been coaching a really, really long time,” Musselman said. “Look, we played well enough to win. That’s all I can say. I’m going to keep reiterating give Purdue credit. We’re new, we’ve got to earn respect.”
The Trojans missed six of their last eight shots from the field to end the first half, then missed 10 of their last 12 to end the game.
USC dropped below .500 with the loss, finishing 16-17 overall and 7-13 in its first Big Ten slate. Barring a postseason NIT invite (and USC should be a candidate), Musselman’s first season in Los Angeles is in the books. Purdue, meanwhile, advances to take on Michigan on Friday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
Purdue Coach Matt Painter
“Obviously it was a very tough, physical game. USC was very resilient. Tough covers, like they have good players. Obviously, Yates had 30 against us in the first game. Claude didn’t play in the first game. He obviously got in foul trouble.
“Their ability to break you down off the dribble and make plays is difficult to guard. You go through scouting reports, you go through a lot of different things to work on to try to really kind of build in your help and get them, but when people just get in space and look to attack you, sometimes that’s something that is pretty difficult to do. I thought our guys showed some discipline, very fortunate that they missed a pretty good shot there at the end and were able to get that rebound.”
latimes.com
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