Trojans knock Ducks off their unbeaten perch, 84-82

The way things are going, O.J. Mayo might have to uphold a legacy rather than build one.

One of the most heralded recruit in USC basketball history could be the savior who wasn’t needed if the Trojans’ 84-82 victory over No. 16 Oregon that knocked the Ducks from the ranks of the unbeaten Thursday night at McArthur Court is any indication.

USC has defeated three consecutive ranked opponents, none more improbably than its win over an Oregon team that was off to its best start in 69 years and had been especially tough to beat amid the head-splitting cacophony inside its creaky old gym.

Yet there was junior swingman Nick Young, making a fadeaway jumper from about 15 feet with 20 seconds left to give the Trojans an 83-81 lead they would not relinquish en route to another victory that will look good on their NCAA tournament resume.

“It’s a big bounce-back from the last game,” said Young, alluding to a charge he had committed in the final seconds of a three-point loss to Washington State. “I’m glad they still had faith in me.”

As Young engaged in a celebratory chest bump with freshman forward Taj Gibson, Oregon players shuffled glumly off the court. The Ducks, 13-1 overall and 1-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, had lost the opportunity to go 14-0 for the first time since the 1937-38 season and set up a matchup of unbeatens with top-ranked UCLA on Saturday.

Oregon had a chance to send the game to overtime when USC junior guard Gabe Pruitt fouled Ducks senior guard Aaron Brooks with 1.4 seconds left. It was just what Trojans Coach Tim Floyd wanted -- sort of.

With USC (12-4, 2-1) leading, 84-81, Floyd instructed his players to commit a foul before Oregon could get a shot off. But the referees ruled that Pruitt had fouled Brooks in the act of shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

“I thought I was holding him for a good two seconds trying to foul him to get two free throws instead of three, but they didn’t see it that way,” Pruitt said.

Said Floyd, who argued the call in animated fashion: “I thought we got him on the ground.”

Brooks, who had made 86% of his free throws, converted the first to make it 84-82. The second went off the back of the rim, so the Trojans figured Brooks would intentionally try to miss the third to give his team a shot at the rebound.

But his final attempt only scraped the front of the rim and caromed toward USC senior guard Lodrick Stewart, who slapped the ball away to end the game.

Young had 19 points to lead five Trojans in double figures, and Gibson nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Gibson secured several big defensive rebounds in the final three minutes on the way to his conference-leading eighth double-double.

“That’s the Taj that I’ve been seeing the whole year,” said Stewart, who had 14 points. “Nine times out of 10, I think he’s getting the rebound over anybody.”

With his team continually blistered by Oregon’s dribble penetration from its swift guards, Floyd switched to a seldom-used 2-3 zone in the second half, “and just got fortunate.”

The adjustment helped slow Brooks, who finished with 31 points, and the Ducks’ other perimeter players.

“When our team sees a zone defense, their eyes should light up,” Oregon Coach Ernie Kent said, “but we just couldn’t knock down open shots tonight.”

The Trojans made theirs in the second half, shooting 63% in the final 20 minutes, and committed only four of their 10 turnovers after intermission to end a four-game conference road losing streak that dated to last season.

It was another team effort for USC.

Pruitt had 18 points and committed one turnover in 27 minutes, freshman guard Daniel Hackett drew a key charge on Oregon forward Maarty Leunen with five seconds left and freshman guard Dwight Lewis hit a three-point basket to help the Trojans overcame an eight-point, second-half deficit.

“Our kids grew up a lot tonight,” Floyd said.

ben.bolch@latimes.com