This USC basketball team knows a thing or two about dramatic comebacks -- and the Trojans weren't about to be on the wrong end of one Saturday at Oregon State.
USC, which had rallied back from a 21-point deficit in a win over Stanford a week earlier, led by as many as 22 points in the first half this time before the Beavers surged to within 6 in the second half.
But no closer.
Sophomore guard Elijah Weaver played one of his best all-around games of the season, freshman star Onyeka Okongwu helped the Trojans regain momentum with several momentous dunks in the second half, Jonah Mathews was again a steady contributor from the perimeter, and all told the Trojans cruised to their most comfortable win of the conference slate so far, finishing off Oregon State, 75-55, in Corvallis, Ore.
Okongwu finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, Mathews dropped in 16 points, Weaver finished with 13 points and 4 assists and Nick Rakocevic chipped in 10 points and 4 rebounds.
USC (16-4, 5-2 Pac-12) was already up 17-8 early before unleashing a 13-0 run on back-to-back layups from Isaiah Mobley, a steal by Mobley and feed to Okongwu for a layup and free throw, an easy drive to the rim by Weaver, a breakaway layup by Mathews started by him poking the ball away to Mobley who in turn fed him the outlet pass, and finally another score from Okongwu to make it 30-8.
Then the Trojans got sloppy, as Oregon State (12-8, 2-6) closed to within 36-28 at halftime after Beavers star Tres Tinkle got going with 10 points over the final 7 minutes and Kylor Kelley fed the surge with a second-chance layup and free throw in the final seconds of the half.
With 12 minutes remaining in the second half, the Beavers cut it to 46-40 on back-to-back 3s from Zach Reichle and Antoine Vernon, and it felt like a reversal of the Trojans' last two games.
In addition to erasing that 21-point deficit in an overtime win at Stanford, the Trojans were down 11 in the second half at Oregon on Thursday night before rallying all the way back to take a late lead. The Ducks would ultimately prevail in double-overtime, a tough loss for the Trojans after their spirited comeback, and now suddenly it was USC watching a big league vanish.
But just as quickly as they lost momentum Saturday, the Trojans seized it back, launching a 14-0 run to effectively seal the game.
Weaver blew past a defender near the perimeter for an easy layup to push the Trojans back ahead by double-figures at 50-40 and then on the next possession he dished a perfect bounce pass to Okongwu for one of the freshman big man's rim-rattling dunks.
A couple possessions later freshman guard Ethan Anderson converted a layup and free throw, Weaver followed with a 3-pointer and Mathews dropped in jumper to make it 60-40.
Okongwu continues to stuff the stat sheet and fill the highlight reels in his debut season, as he's averaging 21 points and 10.3 rebounds over the last three games.
Weaver, meanwhile, looked like a potential missing link for the Trojans on Saturday, making plays as a distributor, scoring on aggressive takes to the rim and knocking down big shots. The second-year guard has been erratic this season so far, as the last two games illustrate well. He was a primary instigator in that comeback vs. Stanford, scoring 13 points in 17 minutes, only to disappear the next game against Oregon (4 points, 5 turnovers and 4 fouls).
He started strong Saturday and then perhaps got a little overconfident, turning it over on an ill-advised behind-the-back pass and drawing a flopping warning on another turnover during Oregon State's surge.
But his strong finish after that is another reminder of the untapped potential he carries and what he could mean for this team down the stretch if he can harness it a little more consistently. With Anderson himself playing inconsistently as the primary point guard and fellow freshman Kyle Sturdivant looking not quite ready for major minutes, Weaver's continued emergence could be the most important development the rest of the way for USC.
Okongwu and Mathews have proven themselves as dependable leaders -- it's all about the supporting cast at this point for the Trojans. Mobley continues to have moments during what has been an up-and-down freshman campaign, but it's seeming unlikely he fully unleashes at any point this season. Grad transfer guard Daniel Utomi is a fine role player who can get hot at times, and Rakocevic looks bound to be unpredictable in his senior season.
But for Weaver, the opportunity is there and his confidence seems to be as well. How he combines those two in the coming games will be telling for whether delayed breakout is on the way for the talented guard.
In general, meanwhile, the Trojans' collective strong finish is another reminder -- one of many they've delivered the last couple weeks -- that even with those aforementioned inconsistencies this could be a very entertaining rest of the season.
Overall, USC has won 10 of its last 12 games and remains in the thick of the Pac-12 hunt as they return home this week to host Utah and Colorado.
