No. 18 New Mexico Rallies For 75-67 Win Over USC
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Hugh Greenwood hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points to help No. 18 New Mexico recover from an early double-digit deficit to beat Southern Cal 75-67 on Wednesday night.
Alex Kirk added a double-double for the Lobos (9-0) with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Kendall Williams had 13 points and a season-high nine assists.
Five Trojans scored in double figures, led by 14 from Eric Wise, but USC (3-5) still lost its fourth straight.
Midway through the first half, the Trojans used a 7-0 run to take their largest lead at 28-18, but New Mexico immediately responded with a 15-2 run to go up 33-30 and the Lobos never trailed again. Behind two 3-pointers from Greenwood, including one at the shot-clock buzzer with 5 seconds left in the half, the Lobos went into halftime on a 10-2 run to lead 43-34.
Over the final 7 minutes of the first half, New Mexico connected on 8 of 11 from the field, including hitting 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The Lobos shot 11 of 24 on 3-point attempts compared to 4 of 13 for USC.
New Mexico's biggest lead was 59-42. The Trojans closed the gap behind a 13-2 run that made it 70-65 with 2:13 left.
But Williams followed with a 3-pointer for New Mexico to break the streak.
The Trojans outscored New Mexico 32-20 in the paint and 17-4 on fast-break opportunities, but New Mexico won the battle of the boards 31-23 and had a 17-7 scoring advantage off the bench.