Late Miami free throws sink USC in first round of NCAA Tournament

Miami redshirt senior guard Charlie Moore made two free throws in the final seconds to beat USC 68-66 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

USC senior guard Drew Peterson had eight of his 17 points in the last 35 seconds to rescue the Trojans from a late three-possession deficit. However, his half-court heave at the buzzer couldn’t quite fall as well, and USC is eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

“Thankfully, my teammates found me in great spots,” Peterson said. “I hit a few shots, but obviously it was too little, too late.”

Freshman forward Reese Dixon-Waters added a career-high 16 points off the bench, and junior forward Isaiah Mobley had 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds in a strong all-around game that could be his last in a USC uniform.

Miami’s guard trio of guards — Moore, redshirt senior Kameron McGusty and sophomore Isaiah Wong — combined for 50 points to lift Miami into the second round of March Madness.

The game’s first few minutes were more or less a tale of two Isaiah’s. Mobley opened the game by missing his first six shots from the field and two free throws, in addition to committing a pair of turnovers. Meanwhile, Wong scored his team’s first 13 points to give the Hurricanes an early lead.

USC would come back — temporarily — thanks to a pair of threes out of a media timeout. That offensive awakening was short-lived, though. The turnover issues that plagued USC toward the end of the season continued to haunt the Trojans, who had 12 first-half turnovers to Miami’s one.

Veteran team leaders Peterson and senior forward Chevez Goodwin took responsibility for the Trojans’ inability to take care of the ball, agreeing that they needed more early energy and less hesitation on offense.

Even when the Trojans got a shot off, Miami redshirt senior forward Sam Waardenburg was often there to do something about it. The veteran big man had four blocks by halftime and affected multiple other shots. The swarming Hurricanes defense held USC to a season-low 20 points in the first half.

USC dominated the boards in the first half, but Miami actually had a noticeable advantage in the paint. The Hurricanes outscored the Trojans 18-8 in the paint and 12-0 off turnovers using a much smaller lineup.

Mobley finally found his shot after a scoreless opening period; he had eight points, including two threes, during the Trojans’ 17-2 run to open the second half.

“It is frustrating as a team and a coaching staff when you know your players aren’t performing as well as they could, but they came out in the second half and did a great job,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said.

But there was one rather unexpected player who especially stepped up in the bright lights of March Madness.

Think back to last year’s tournament run by USC. Senior guard Isaiah White had 35 points across two NCAA Tournament games against Kansas and Oregon, despite averaging just 7.6 points per game for the year.

This year, Dixon-Waters entered the NCAA Tournament averaging just 4.5 points, though that number is a little misleading due to his limited minutes early in the year. He became one of Enfield’s most trusted players off the bench as the season progressed, and his absence due to a groin injury for the Trojans’ Pac-12 Tournament loss to UCLA last week was greatly felt.

Dixon-Waters had his best game of the season Friday, highlighted by a pair of go-ahead threes early in the second half. His impact was especially appreciated given the struggles of junior guard Boogie Ellis, USC’s second-leading scorer.

“I felt like I needed to be there for the team … just get through it and play,” Dixon-Waters said about persevering through injury. “I’ll push through it for any team, especially this one.”

After the game, his teammates and head coach had no shortage of compliments regarding the freshman’s potential.

“[Reese] didn’t prove anything to me today. I knew he was like this from the get-go,” Goodwin said. “I’m just super proud of him. He has a bright future ahead of him at USC.”

“He showed me he’s ready for the big time,” Enfield added. “He hasn’t practiced in over a week … He came in today on a bigger stage and he was ready.”

As he did to open the game, Wong carried the Miami offense to begin the second half, scoring the Hurricanes’ first nine points out of halftime. Wong would finish with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 free-throw shooting. But Miami’s guard-dominant approach was somewhat limited by shooting 1-for-14 from three for the game.

Neither team would build more than a five-point lead for much of a tense, back-and-forth second half that included four ties and 10 lead changes. USC finally asserted itself in the paint as Goodwin and Mobley settled in, though Miami held serve because of its consistent guard play.

Somehow, USC entered the final two minutes trailing by just a point in spite of an 18-to-2 turnover margin in favor of Miami. Though Wong fouled out, the Hurricanes’ endless stream of talented, veteran guards continued to give the Trojans trouble on both ends, resulting in a seven-point Miami lead with 44 seconds remaining.

Then Peterson took things into his own hands to give USC a chance. The senior guard had eight points, including a pair of clutch threes, in 21 seconds to tie the game up with 14 ticks left.

But it was all for nothing. Junior guard Ethan Anderson was called for a foul with three seconds to go, and Moore converted both foul shots to put Miami in front again. Peterson’s potentially game-winning shot from half-court barely rimmed out to put an end to a fittingly chaotic USC basketball season.