Memphis Stumbles, but USC Falls 62-58

Trojans go for upset, but Tigers surge late and rally in OT
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 5, 2007 2:25 AM CST
Memphis Stumbles, but USC Falls 62-58
Southern California's Taj Gibson (22) goes to the basket against Memphis' Joey Dorsey during the first half of a Jimmy V Classic basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)   (Associated Press)

The 24th-ranked USC Trojans came within a free throw of tipping Memphis from the No. 2 rank, then fell behind 8-4 in overtime to come up just short, 62-58. USC's second four-point loss to a powerful team left some Trojans in tears, but came as a relief to a Tigers team that started the game looking terrible, reports the Commercial Appeal.

The Trojans shot just 29% in the game, but "went to overtime with the No. 2 team in the country, which means that we were doing a lot of things well," pointed out coach Tim Floyd. Memphis didn't put up a much better shooting percentage (37%), but cobbled together an effective defense in time to slow down the upset-hungry Trojans in the end. (More NCAA basketball stories.)

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