SMU Falls To USC 66-65 In NCAA Tournament
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TULSA, Oklahoma (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The SMU Mustangs had an 8-point lead at halftime but fell to the University of Southern California on Friday afternoon 66-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Mustangs had won 16 straight games and 26 out of 27 going into the tournament.
Elijah Stewart hit a late 3-pointer for No. 11 seed Southern California as the Trojans upset sixth seeded SMU.
SMU's Shake Milton missed a floater at the buzzer.
Stewart had 22 points for the Trojans (26-9). Bennie Boatright and Chimezie Metu each added 14 for USC, which advances to play Baylor in the second round of the East region on Sunday.
USC also rallied from a big deficit in the second half in its First Four win over Providence.
Semi Ojeleye had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Sterling Brown had 17 points for SMU (30-5), which had won 16 straight.
SMU was in the NCAA Tournament after being banned from postseason play a year ago for multiple violations, including academic fraud and unethical conduct.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)