The Barometer Online

Issue date: 1/6/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ethan Erickson Junior forward Roeland Schaftenaar lead all scorers with 18 points in Oregon State's 62-58 victory over the visiting USC Trojans.

As the final seconds ticked off the game clock, a chant broke out throughout Legendary Gill Coliseum, "Just like football, just like football!"

With the chant came a celebration of Oregon State's 62-58 overtime win against USC (10-4, 1-1 Pac-10), the first Pac-10 win for OSU (6-6, 1-1) since February 22, 2007 against Washington. The Beavers executed a tough zone defense that caused trouble for the athletic USC squad early in the game.

Oregon State jumped out early after a defensive stop that allowed junior guard Seth Tarver to drive the lane making his shot while drawing a foul. After hitting from the line, Tarver's OSU teammates exchanged scoreless possessions with the Trojans.

"They kept us at the half court line all night long," USC head coach Tim Floyd said. "We had trouble getting it down to the baseline and playing off the baseline. Again, you have to give them credit."

Tarver intercepted a cross-court pass returning the ball to OSU to set-up their offense. Oregon State moved the ball around the court, and as the shot clock ticked down, junior forward Roeland Schaftenaar hit the first of his three shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Schaftenaar would score from the elbow on the next OSU possession giving the Beavers an 8-0 lead at the first media timeout. The Trojans fought back after the break going on an 11 point run, resulting in a 13-12 USC lead. The teams exchanged baskets tying the game at 18 apiece.

However, Southern California executed their offense at the end of the half with shots dropping off the hands of senior forward Marcus Johnson and freshman forward DeMar DeRozan. Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 36-seconds left giving the Trojans a 25-20 lead at half.

USC jumped out early in the second half extending their lead to 15 points at the 12:54 mark thanks to a fadeaway 3-point shot from junior guard Daniel Hackett. Hackett and the Trojans began to relinquish their lead as sophomore guard Calvin Haynes began to run through the Southern California defense.

"They were down by 15 and came back with a great force in the second half," Floyd said. "I felt they took great shots. They guarded hard when they were down, and I felt we guarded just as hard when we were up."

Continued...

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