Sports News
USC Beats Boston College 72-55
Taj Gibson had the perfect game, shooting a 10-for-10 from the field for 24 points, as the 10th-seeded Southern California Trojans dominated the second half to defeat Boston College, 72-55, in first-round action in the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region.
Gibson also had six rebounds and three blocks for USC (22-12), which won the Pac-10 Tournament and will play Michigan State in the second round on Sunday. DeMar DeRozan added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Dwight Lewis contributed 20 with six boards.
"We didn't celebrate (the win) at all; I liked the maturity in the locker room after it was over," USC head coach Tim Floyd said. "It's a winner-take-all, and you got to go play, and I think it's advantageous that we play an earlier game. Our guys are able to go back home, get some sleep and watch the second half of this game on TV and get out and prepare tomorrow."
After trailing by four at halftime, the Trojans, who are making a school- record third consecutive NCAA tourney appearance, outscored Boston College, 42-21, in the second half to win the game.
Corey Raji led the Eagles (22-12) with 15 points and seven rebounds, but the team shot just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) in the second half. Joe Trapani scored 12 points and grabbed seven boards, while Tyrese Rice scored just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting.
"It came down to us not making stops and them hitting shots," Trapani said. "They would get the ball (and) pass around the perimeter. We weren't boxing out like we were in the first half. Basically, we couldn't regroup from there."
A quick USC 7-0 run early in the second half tied the game at 37 on Gibson's dunk, and the Trojans later rattled off 11 straight points, taking a 52-44 edge on Gibson's emphatic dunk midway through the period.
Hackett made it a 12-point game, 60-48, on a jumper with 5:40 to play, and the lead never dipped below 10 for the remainder of the game.
Two straight baskets from Gibson capped a short 6-0 burst that gave the Trojans a 16-9 lead, but Boston College responded with a 14-2 run that put the Eagles in front. Raji had seven points on the spurt, and Tyler Roche capped it with a three with just under eight minutes to go.
Now trailing, 23-18, USC scored the next nine points, and DeRozan's layup made it a four-point Trojan lead with 4:26 left.
BC tallied the final seven points of the first half, as Raji made a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 34-30 lead at the break.
NCAA College Basketball
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