Arizona State upsets No.3 USC 77-72 to advance to Pac-12 Semifinals

USC Trojans #5 Boogie Ellis (G) is being defended by Arizona State Sun Devils #10 Frankie Collins (G) at the T-Mobile Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

LAS VEGAS, NV - The Arizona State Sun Devils' third game was the charm after knocking off the No. 3 seed USC Trojans 77-72 in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. led Arizona State in scoring with 27 points, DJ Horne with 16 points, and Devan Cambridge with 11 points. The Sun Devils, as a team, made 14 three-pointers in the game.

USC was led in scoring by Tre White and Reese Dixon-Waters, both with 16 points, and Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, each with 15 points.

Arizona beat USC on the offensive boards 14 to 8 and second-chance points 21 to 13

Arizona State led USC 8-0 after a three-pointer by Desmond Cambridge Jr. The Trojans trail 10-4 with back-to-back jump shots by Tre White.

"We came out soft," Kobe Johnson said, "and this time of year, you can't come out soft."

Arizona State Sun Devils #4 Desmond Cambridge Jr. (G) driving towards the basket from the right side of the court. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Boogie Ellis's three-pointer had USC trailing 12-7. Desmond Cambridge Jr. would make a three-pointer to give the Sun Devils a 15-7 lead.

The Trojans trailed 15-9 with two free throws by Reese Dixon-Waters. Kobe Johnson stole the ball, and his pass attempt was stolen by Anthony Gaffney for a dunk, giving Arizona State a 17-9 lead.

Ellis fouled on his made three-pointer, made his free throw, and USC trailed 19-15. The Sun Devils led 25-17 with a three-pointer by Luther Muhammad. Drew Peterson's jump shot had the Trojans down by five points, 25-20.

Cambridge Jr. would make a three-pointer at the top of the key to give Arizona State a 28-21 lead with 7:10 left in the first half. The Sun Devils led by ten points, 31-21, with two free throws by DJ Horne.

USC head coach Andy Enfield called a timeout after Arizona State got an offensive rebound, and Devan Cambridge, with a put-back basket, gave them a 33-21 lead with 3:14 left in the first half.

Cambridge Jr. would make another three-pointer to give the Sun Devils a 36-21 lead. Dixon-Water's driving layup made the score 36-23.

Arizona State led at halftime 39-25, and Cambridge Jr. led them in scoring in the first half with 11 points, and Horne with 10 points.

Ellis led the Trojans in scoring 11 points, Dixon-Waters with 6 points, and Peterson and White, each with 4 points. The Sun Devils made eight three-pointers in the first half.

USC shot poorly in the first half, 7 of 27 from the field for 25.9% and from three-point range 3 of 10 for 30%, while Arizona made 13 of 32 shots for 40.6% and from three-point range 8 for 17 for 47.1%.

USC Trojans #22 Tre White (G) pushing the ball upcourt at the T-Mobile Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

White would score in the second half to make the score 39-27 in favor of Arizona State. Cambridge Jr. fouled by Ellis on his made three-point shot and made his free throw to give the Sun Devils a 42-27 lead.

White's second chance shot had USC trailing 47-34. Kobe Johnson would make two free throws making the score 47-36.

The Trojans trail 50-41 with a three-pointer by Dixon-Waters with 12:35 left in the game. Arizona pushed their lead up to eleven points, 54-43, with a jump shot by Duke Brennan.

Ellis's layup had USC behind 55-45. Dixon-Waters went up strong and was fouled on his right-hand dunk, reviewed by the officials, and ruled a flagrant one. USC was down by ten points, 60-50, with a jump shot by Johnson with 8:28 left in the game.

Desmond Cambridge continued to make three-pointers, knocking down another to give the Sun Devils a 63-50. Arizona would make 14 three-pointers after Alonzo Gaffney's three-pointer made the score 66-50.

USC would trail 66-54 with a layup by Ellis. Johnson fouled on his made layup and made his free throw making the score 67-57. The Trojans trailed 67-60 with a jump shot by Dixon-Waters.

Arizona would make some timely shots and free throws to keep USC at bay and advance to the semifinal to take on the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats.