EUGENE, Ore. — Keeshawn Barthelemy led the charge as Oregon secured a commanding 82-61 win over USC on Saturday, marking their fifth consecutive victory. Barthelemy was in impressive form, scoring 20 points by making 8 of 10 shots, including four from beyond the arc. His teammate, Jackson Shelstad, was also in fine form, contributing 19 points to the win with his 8 of 15 shooting performance and three three-pointers for the Ducks (21-8, 10-8 Big Ten). Oregon achieved a shooting rate of 48% and took advantage of USC’s 16 turnovers, outscoring them 19-7. Nate Bittle added 15 points and led the team with seven rebounds.
Making only his fourth start of the season, Rashaun Agee was the standout player for USC, scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, hitting 10 out of his 14 attempts. His teammates Chibuzo Agbo and Wesley Yates III added 13 and 12 points respectively, in a challenging game for USC (14-15, 6-12), whose struggles continued as they shot just 34% and suffered their fifth successive loss.
Oregon went into halftime with a five-point lead. However, the Ducks extended their advantage midway into the second half with a decisive 16-0 burst in a 3 and a half-minute period, driven by Barthelemy and Shelstad’s three-pointers to stretch the score to 76-53.
Before this significant second-half run, Oregon managed a late 6-0 streak in the first half, leading to a narrow 39-34 advantage at the break. The Ducks shot 53%, despite their struggles from the three-point line during the first half, and they capitalized on the Trojans’ turnovers, outscoring them 10-3 in such situations. By halftime, Agee had registered 15 points.
In their previous encounter this season, Oregon also emerged victorious over USC, winning 68-60 on December 4.
As they look to close out the regular season, USC will host Washington on Wednesday before visiting UCLA next Saturday. Oregon, meanwhile, is set to face Indiana at home on Tuesday and will conclude their regular-season fixtures with a game at Washington on January 9.
