Jan. 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Taj Gibson, recovered from a bout with pneumonia earlier this week, scored 20 points Thursday night, leading Southern California to a 70-69 victory over Stanford.
The Cardinal had a chance to win, but Lawrence Hill's baseline jumper went in-and-out as time expired.
Daniel Hackett and Leonard Washington added 12 points apiece for the Trojans (14-6, 5-3 Pac-10), who raised their record at Galen Center to 11-1.
Gibson, treated for pneumonia Monday and Tuesday, shot 9-of-12. As a team, the Trojans shot 53.7 percent to Stanford's 45.6 percent.
Hill had 19 points and eight rebounds, Landry Fields added 18 points, Anthony Goods scored 14 and Mitch Johnson had 10 for the Cardinal (13-5, 3-5).
Fields scored seven straight Stanford points to give the Cardinal a 52-46 lead. Hackett then scored five points during a 9-2 run that put the Trojans on top 55-54 with 10 minutes left.
USC extended its lead to 62-56 before a three-point play by Goods and a 3-pointer by Hill helped the Cardinal draw within one with 3:59 to play, but that's as close as they would get.
NOTES:
USC now leads the all-time series 118-116.
Stanford has dropped back-to-back games only three times since the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
Stanford placed at least four players in double-figures for the 10th time this year, and the first since four players accomplished the feat against Washington on Jan. 8.
Stanford's total of 14 offensive rebounds was the most since grabbing 14 in a win over Arizona back on Jan. 4.
Lawrence Hill hauled down eight rebounds, leading the Cardinal in that category for the seventh time this year.
The Cardinal held a 31-26 edge on the glass, limiting the Pac-10's top rebounding team to just eight offensive boards and holding Taj Gibson to four rebounds after he entered the game averaging 10.4 per game.
Mitch Johnson reached double-digits in scoring for the first time since pouring in 12 points at Washington on Jan. 8. He dished out four assists, bumping his career total to 462. That ranks fifth on the all-time list behind Marcus Lollie (474).
Stanford's largest lead of the contest came with 19:50 remaining in the second half, up 40-33.
USC held a 40-18 edge in points in the paint.