Minnesota scores last 8 points to knock off Southern California

Lu'Cye Patterson scored 25 points and Frank Mitchell came through with clutch plays down the stretch to lead visiting Minnesota to a come-from-behind, 69-66 win over Southern California on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Golden Gophers (13-12, 5-9 Big Ten) led for 2:44 of game time, digging a double-digit-point hole early and playing catch-up for much of the afternoon. They pulled ahead when it counted, however, closing the game on an 8-0 run.

Mitchell began the decisive closing stretch when he tipped in a Patterson miss -- part of Mitchell's 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Mitchell scored another put-back on the next Minnesota possession after the Trojan's Rashaun Agee blocked Dawson Garcia's drive to the basket. Mitchell came up with the ball and hit a short jumper, pulling the Golden Gophers to within one point, 66-65, with 24 seconds left in regulation.

Garcia stole the ball from Clark Slajchert, and Patterson drew a foul on Chibuzo Agbo with 13 seconds remaining. Patterson closed the game with four made free throws to seal the victory for Minnesota.

Patterson shot 11 of 13 from the foul line and contributed to the Gopher's defensive effort with three steals. Femi Odukale recorded four steals.

Minnesota's ability to generate takeaways fueled a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers, which was critical for the Golden Gophers' comeback. They trailed behind an initial barrage from long range for the host Trojans, who shot 9 of 15 (60 percent) from behind the arc for the game.

USC (14-11, 6-8) hit five of its first six 3-point attempts and went 6 of 8 from deep in the first half. The Trojans built a lead of 14 points before intermission thanks to their hot start.

Wesley Yates III and Agbo led USC with 18 points each for the game. Both scored big baskets late, with Yates hitting a 3-pointer that broke a 59-59 tie with four minutes remaining.

Agbo was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:31 left, and he made all three to push USC's lead to five points, 66-61. The Trojans did not score again the rest of the way.

The loss denied USC its first winning streak in more than a month, with the Trojans last winning consecutive games on Jan. 11 and 14.

Minnesota, meanwhile, snapped out of a funk after losing three of four games heading into Saturday's contest, the first of two straight for the Gophers in Los Angeles. They face UCLA on Tuesday.

--Field Level Media