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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Bill Carmody said Princeton's offense
could work at Northwestern. Now he's got the upset to prove it.
Ben Johnson hit a baseline jumper with 1:23 left, and then made
two free throws with 8 seconds left Wednesday night as
Northwestern stunned Southern California (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) 63-61.
It was Northwestern's first victory over a ranked team in almost
two years. The Wildcats (7-5) beat then-No. 14 Purdue on Jan. 27,
1999.
"It sets a tone for what we're trying to accomplish the rest of
the year," said Johnson, who finished with 13 points, eight
assists and two steals.
"It proves we're capable of playing a team like this and
winning."
The Trojans (9-2) had a chance to at least send it to overtime
when Brandon Granville made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.7
seconds left. He missed the second, giving the Trojans a chance at
the rebound and the putback.
But Northwestern's Jason Burke grabbed the ball, and the Trojans
had no choice but to foul him with 2.4 seconds left. He missed the
free throw, but Brian Scalabrine's desperation heave at the buzzer
wasn't even close.
As the buzzer sounded, the Northwestern players huddled at
center court, jumping and bouncing around as fans gave them a
standing ovation.
"Everbody's got that tingling feeling in our body because we're
so excited we won," said Winston Blake, who scored 12 points.
Tavaras Hardy led the Wildcats with a season-high 20 points and
four rebounds. Northwestern shot 52 percent and never trailed.
David Blumenthal, who was out of the starting lineup for the
first time this year because he was late for practice earlier in
the week, led the Trojans with 17 points in 35 minutes. Desmon
Farmer also was benched for being late. Farmer finished with 12
points and five assists in 36 minutes.
The Trojans were held to just 42 percent shooting, and it didn't
help that Scalabrine was playing with the stomach flu. The team's
leading scorer played just 16 minutes and had six points.
"We didn't come out to play tonight," USC coach Henry Bibby
said, refusing to use Scalabrine's illness as an excuse.
"We played a very patient team tonight. You don't get back on
an opposing team when they're up 15-0 and on their home court."
The Princeton Tigers have been a terror in the NCAA tournament
with their patient and fluid offense. They've scared many a team
with their screens, backdoor cuts and layups, and in 1996, they
knocked off then-defending champ UCLA in the first round of the
tournament.
Carmody picked up the system as an assistant under Hall of Fame
coach Pete Carril, and then used it when he took over the Tigers.
When he came to Northwestern last summer, the offense came with
him.
"It's a lot of patience, making passes and getting the ball to
the right people," Johnson said. "There's no secret to it. It's
just basketball."
But done right, it can be deadly. Working the offense to
perfection, the Wildcats opened the game with a 15-0 run and never
trailed again.
Southern California finally got within 59-58 with 2:53 left on
Blumenthal's uncontested dunk and a 3-pointer, but Johnson hit his
baseline jumper and USC made only one more field goal the rest of
the way.
Northwestern, which had 23 assists on 28 field goals, has won
two more games than it did last season.
"It's a system that works," Hardy said. "Guys are getting
more comfortable, and every game we play we get better."
The Trojans have made a habit of starting slow -- they had to
rally from a 20-point deficit their last game -- and this game was
no different. They missed their first six shots and didn't score
until Scalabrine's 12-foot jumper with 14:44 left in the first
half.
Farmer hit a jumper at the top of the key with 3 seconds
left to get USC within 38-29 at halftime.
"It was a very, very small step," Hardy said. "We've got to
keep winning."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
USC Clubhouse
Northwestern Clubhouse
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