USC women rally from 17 down, knock off No. 16 Oregon State

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kristen Simon scored 21 points as USC rallied to beat No. 16 Oregon State 65-61 for its first Pac-12 Conference win Sunday at the Galen Center. Sadie Edwards added 17 points.

USC (11-4, 1-3) snapped a three-game losing streak after rallying from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter. Simon made an open basket inside to give the Trojans a 62-61 lead with 54 seconds left.

Oregon State (11-4, 2-2 Pac-12) was down by two but a Katie McWilliams turnover – her only one of the game – against pressure by USC with eight seconds left ensured there would be no last-second heroics for the Beavers.

Marie Gulich scored a team-best 16 points and Mikayla Pivec added 14. Pivec made a half-court shot at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Beavers a 22-13 lead. Oregon State extended it to 17 but USC would rally.

Oregon State made 7 3-pointers in the first half, one in the second half. USC rallied in the third quarter with a 10-0 run – buoyed by turnovers on four consecutive possessions for Oregon State – and pulled within four points at 49-45.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon State: The Beavers will return home following two losses on the road to UCLA (84-49) and USC and hope to get back on the winning track.

USC: The Trojans can feel good about themselves again by getting back in the conference picture with a victory Sunday.

UP NEXT

Oregon State: Hosts Arizona State on Friday.

USC: Plays at Colorado on Friday.