MAYO, TROJANS BOUNCE BACK USC BASKETBALL: FRESHMAN SCORES 18 IN FINAL 8 1/2 MINUTES. USC 81, OREGON 75.

Byline: Phil Collin

Staff Writer

USC's roster doesn't look so thin when O.J. Mayo catches fire.

Already reduced to basically a six-man rotation, the Trojans fought back from a 14-point deficit to stun Oregon 81-75 in front of 8,721 at the Galen Center Thursday night.

That keeps the Trojans (16-9), who broke a two-game losing streak, securely in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament spot and put a severe dent in the Ducks' hopes.

Mayo's 3-pointer with 6:13 left broke a 61-61 tie, then his 25-foot 3-pointer from straight away with 2:05 left and the shot clock winding down helped seal the improbable win for the Trojans, who stayed in fourth place in the Pac-10 with a 7-6 record but are now in that spot alone.

Mayo scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half and made six free throws without a miss in the final 32.3 seconds. In the final 8:32, Mayo scored 18 points, starting with a jumper that tied the score 59-59. It was a measure of redemption for the star freshman guard, who scored only four points -- the only time he has not been in double figures this season -- and turned the ball over 10 times on Sunday in a loss to UCLA.

Mayo said he was not trying to atone for that performance and was one of a number of players who were singled out by coach Tim Floyd after USC allowed 42 points in the first half.

"At halftime he really pointed me out, he pointed other guys out that we weren't guarding anyone," Mayo said. "Throughout the first half he was saying 'It's going to be a shame that we don't get in the tournament because we don't guard anyone.'

"And that's what we really pride ourselves on, so we wanted to come out and respond to Coach."

The Trojans still trailed by 13 points in the second half when they began to chip away, starting with a 3-pointer by Angelo Johnson, who scored 14 points and had five assists with no turnovers. Johnson hit another 3-pointer during a 15-4 run that was highlighted by reserve forward Keith Wilkinson, who revved up the crowd with an offensive rebound -- a rare sight around USC -- that led to a 3-pointer by Mayo.

The Trojans took their first lead when Johnson cut free under the basket and Mayo found him for a 57-56 lead. Mayo's tiebreaking 3-pointer came behind a screen by Wilkinson.

In perhaps one of the school's most inspirational non-scoring outings, Wilkinson finished with 11 rebounds and fittingly made a steal that ended the game.

Forward Taj Gibson fought off foul trouble and had 15points and eight rebounds for USC and guard Dwight Lewis had 12 points with two 3-pointers in the second half.

Malik Hairston led Oregon (15-11, 6-8) with 17 points and guard Tajuan Porter had 16 with four 3-pointers.

Bryce Taylor (Harvard Westlake), locked up in a heated duel with Mayo all night, scored eight points.

"That was the best second half we've played this year on both ends," Floyd said. We certainly needed it."

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SC

SATURDAY

Vs. Oregon St., 5 p.m., Galen Center.

TV: FSN Prime.