The lowdown:
It took more than two minutes for either team to get on the board, but Jordan McLaughlin drove to the hoop to get things started for the Trojans.
Elijah Stewart put down two early dunks while USC built a five-point lead.
With just under nine minutes left in the first half, Oregon State’s Stephen Thompson Jr. closed the gap on a layup plus foul shot at 16-16.
When the Trojans conceded the lead a few minutes later, the response was immediate. Stewart knocked down a three then Chimezie Metu slammed home a dunk and completed the three-point play from the foul line.