Oregon Ducks edge USC 71-70 in Los Angeles, improving to 10-17

Oregon escaped Los Angeles with a 71-70 road upset over USC after a 7-0 run in the final 59 seconds culminated in Nate Bittle’s two late free throws that gave the Ducks the lead. The win moves Oregon to 10-17 overall and 3-13 in Big Ten play under coach Dana Altman.

Accounts of the final minute vary, but the consistent facts are Bittle’s free throws produced the go-ahead points and Oregon closed the game on a 7-0 streak. The AP account lays out a sequence in which Kwame Evans Jr. missed a late foul shot before Drew Carter hit a 3 to make it 70-69, USC missed follow-ups, and Bittle was fouled on a lob and made the final two free throws with roughly 10 seconds left. Another version reports Jacob Cofie’s 1-of-2 free throw at 1:10 put USC up 70-64, Evans responded with a layup and drew Ezra Ausar’s fifth foul, and Bittle later backed down his man, drew a foul with about 15 seconds left and sank both. All accounts credit Dezdrick Lindsay with a decisive steal on the final possession to secure the win.

Kwame Evans Jr. led Oregon with 21 points and eight rebounds, supplying 18 of those points in the second half and drilling an elbow 3 that snapped a scoring drought, while Daily Emerald’s box details list Evans as 4-for-9 from the field and credited him with 11 free throws, eight coming in the second half. Bittle finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four steals and was the late-game difference. Takai Simpkins added 12 points, Drew Carter scored 11, and Dezdrick Lindsay had a first-half dunk that capped an 8-0 run and finished with the game-ending steal.

USC’s line featured Chad Baker-Mazara with 21 points before fouling out and Ezra Ausar with 15 points and 11 rebounds, also fouling out late. Alijah Arenas chipped in 13 and led a second-half flurry for the Trojans, who fell to 18-9 and 7-9 in Big Ten play. OregonLive and the Daily Emerald described USC’s late foul trouble and poor execution as potentially damaging to the Trojans’ NCAA tournament résumé.

The numbers underline how tight and messy the contest was: Oregon shot 45 percent overall and 25 percent from 3-point range while committing 15 turnovers, which the Trojans converted into 25 points. For Oregon this was just their second road victory in a difficult 2025-26 season and, per the Daily Emerald, the Ducks had not beaten a Big Ten team with a winning record until this result.

The Ducks return to Eugene and Matthew Knight Arena to host No. 24 Wisconsin on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. USC heads to UCLA on Tuesday. Dana Altman’s team will try to parlay the improbable late rally in Los Angeles into momentum before the matchup with the ranked Badgers.