Zoom Diallo scored 22 points and added 11 assists and seven rebounds as Washington overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half to defeat Southern California 83-79 in overtime in the second round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday afternoon in Chicago.
Quimari Peterson and Wesley Yates III scored 15 points apiece and Hannes Steinbach had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the 12th-seeded Huskies (16-16), who will meet No. 5 seed Wisconsin (22-9) on Thursday.
Kam Woods led the 13th-seeded Trojans (18-14) with 24 points and seven assists. Jacob Cofie added 14 points and nine rebounds, Jacob Marsh had 13 points and Ryan Cornish and Ezra Ausar scored 10 apiece as USC lost its eighth straight game.
After trading baskets to open overtime, a three-point play by Marsh gave the Trojans a 76-73 lead. A jumper by Yates, a driving layup by Diallo and a 3-pointer by Peterson put Washington up 80-76.
Woods made a three-point play to pull USC within 80-79 with 36 seconds to go.
Diallo converted two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 82-79.
Marsh missed a 3-pointer, Steinbach grabbed the rebound and was fouled and made the first of two free throws with two seconds left for the final margin.
The Trojans took a 40-33 halftime lead as Cofie scored 12 points and Woods added 10.
Steinbach, who averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds in Washington’s two regular-season victories against the Trojans, was held scoreless until making a putback with 7:48 left in the half.
After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Huskies made a push. Yates and Peterson made 3-pointers and Yates added a driving layup off a USC turnover to make it 58-52 with 12 minutes left.
Yates tied it at 58 with a three-point play and Diallo scored on a tip-in with 9:01 left to cap a 16-1 run.
USC went 5:15 without a field goal until Marsh made a second-chance 3-pointer to give the Trojans a 61-60 lead with 8:43 to go.
Diallo’s 3-pointer with 4:25 remaining gave the Huskies a 69-65 lead, but USC responded with a dunk by Ausar and a turnaround jumper by Woods late in the shot clock, tying it with 3:08 left.
Ausar’s dunk put the Trojans up before Washington’s Courtland Muldrew rebounded his own miss and tied it with a putback with 59 seconds remaining.
Woods missed a 15-footer from just left of the key with a second left, forcing overtime.
–Field Level Media
