TULSA, Okla. — For the second straight NCAA tournament game, Southern California overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to win Friday.
Elijah Stewart hit a late 3-pointer as the 11th-seeded Trojans upset sixth-seeded Southern Methodist 66-65 in the first round of the East Regional.
USC, who trailed SMU by 10 in the second half, trailed Providence by 17 in the second half of their First Four game Wednesday night before winning, 75-71.
Apparently the Trojans don’t know how to quit.
“We just had to keep fighting back,” Stewart said. “We’ve been in those positions before so we’re kind of seasoned to it. And you just can’t stop. You’ve just got to keep going.”
Stewart had 22 points for the Trojans (26-9), including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 37 seconds to play.
“We ran the play previously before and I was open,” Stewart said. “And then we had the media timeout. We discussed it. We ran the same play again and I was open, and I just let muscle memory take place.”
Bennie Boatright and Chimezie Metu each added 14 points for USC, which advanced to take on third-seeded Baylor in a second-round game on Sunday.
Shake Milton missed a floater at the final buzzer that would have won the game for the Mustangs.
“There used to be a show on TV when I was little talking about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” SMU Coach Tim Jankovich said. “I think it was ‘Wide World of Sports.’ I can certainly relate to that show right now.”
Stewart noticed that SMU wasn’t sure what it was going to do in the final sequence.
“I noticed that two players were arguing about who was going to take the last shot,” Stewart said.
“Usually when something like that happens, like whoever shoots it, it just messes with you. The floater was short and I felt like if – like it could have went either way, honestly. I was just – I had my eyes closed.”
Semi Ojeleye had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Sterling Brown added 17 points for SMU (30-5), which had won 16 straight. The Mustangs’ last loss had been on Jan. 12.
SMU was in the NCAA tournament after being banned from postseason play a year ago for multiple violations, including academic fraud and unethical conduct.
“Today is obviously an incredible heartbreak,” Jankovich said. “If ever there was a team to deserve some great things, some more great things to happen, particularly this time of year, it was these guys.”
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