Final, KU wins 59-55

Los Angeles – Mario Chalmers after the timeout dropped hin a huge three with the shot clock running out that all but sealed it. After an O.J. Mayo layup, Chalmers was fouled, hit one of two free throws to finish with a game-high 20 points and sent KU home with a 59-55 win.

O.J. Mayo had 19 points for USC, but was an unimpressive 6-of-21 from the floor. Davon Jefferson had 17. KU outrebounded SC 42-30, including plenty on the offensive end for the Jayhawks. Chalmers’ 20 points were a bright spot for the KU offense, which shot just 37.3 percent from the floor. Darnell Jackson was also huge for KU, with nine points and 13 rebounds, including two huge dunks to start the second half.

KU, now 7-0, plays host to Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse, then DePaul next Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lawrence.

:32.1, second half, KU leads 55-53

Los Angeles – KU milked the clock on its possession out of the timeout, but Rodrick Stewart was called for a charge against Daniell Hackett to send the ball back with SC. Davon Jefferson on the other end sent Darrell Arthur packing with his fifth foul at the :53.9 mark. Arthur finished 10 points and eight rebounds.

After a full timeout, Jefferson casually put in both free throws to make it a two-point game at 55-53. KU called a timeout with :32.1 left and 14 seconds on the shot clock.

1:31, second half, KU leads 55-51

Los Angeles – Daniell Hackett made one of two free throws out of the full timeout, making USC just 6-of-14 from the stripe on the night. USC then fouled Sasha Kaun and sent him to the line in the double bonus, where he hit one of two. Taj Gibson answered with his first points of the game at the 2:35 mark.

Taj Gibson fouled out of the game on the other end, sitting down with two points . Mario Chalmers thin hit one of two free throws, and Davon Jefferson then got himself to the line, hitting two to pull SC within six at 55-49. KU then turned it over right away on the inbounds pass with just under 2:00 to go. Jefferson immediately went to the rack on Arthur and potted two to make it a four-point game with 1:31 to go.

3:26, second half, KU leads 53-44

Los Angeles – Darrell Arthur scored two while getting fouled right out of the timeout. He missed the free throw, and after an O.J. Mayo three brick, Brandon Rush missed a trifecta look of his own. But Rush defensively stepped up and swiped a midcourt pass and was fouled while going up against O.J. Mayo on the other end. Rush hit both free throws to put Ku up 51-42 with 6:29 to go.

KU’s defense forced another SC turnover, this time, making Daniel Hackett throw it away in mid-air. KU couldn’t score off of it, and Davon Jefferson, back in the game for SC with three fouls, scored in the paint to give himself 11 points and pull the Trojans within seven.

KU ran the clock down on the other end, but Rodrick Stewart brought down a pair of offensive rebounds following KU misses, and it brought upon a timeout at the 4:32 mark with KU still up by seven.

Darrell Arthur picked up his fourth foul after a timeout, but KU took the ball right back off an O.J. Mayo miss and Mario Chalmers flipped in a runner off the iron, putting KU up by nine points with 3:26 to go.

7:42, second half, KU leads 47-42

Los Angeles – Darrell Arthur missed the front end of a one-and-one out of the timeout, but USC handed it back thanks to a Dwight Lewis turnover. Brandon Rush had a chance to put KU up by four with a bunny inside off a feed from Russell Robinson, but left an easy layup short off the iron. O.J. Mayo did USC no favors by missing a three on the other end.

Russell Robinson then missed a pair of threes, but KU corralled offensive boards both times. The possession ended, though, with a Robinson turnover, going back across midcourt. Mayo spilled in two off the glass in traffic on the other end to tie it up 42-42, and give himself a game-high 17 points.

Darrell Arthur missed an ill-advised three from atop the key for KU, but Tim Floyd put KU at the line thanks to a technical foul after USC had been whistled for Taj Gibson’s fourth foul on the rebound. Chalmers made one of two technical free throws, and Sasha Kaun then made both in the bonus to put KU up 45-42. Gibson got to the line on the other end for the second time on the night, but missed the first attempt. He clanked the second, too, giving himself no points to go with four fouls and an 0-for-3 showing at the free throw line.

After a couple of swapped empty possessions, KU turned a Gibson miss inside into a Brandon Rush two from mid-range distance, giving KU its biggest lead yet at 47-42. A travel call on SC sent the game into a full break at the 7:42 mark.

11:22, second half, KU leads 42-40

Los Angeles – Daniel Hackett hit a three from the corner out of the timeout to put USC back on top by one, giving himself seven points on the night. Sasha Kaun came back to score his first points of the game, though, taking a feed from Brandon Rush and dropping in two off the glass.

Mayo missed a three which would have put SC back on top, but KU gave it right back with Brandon Rush stepping on the end line on the other end.

Davon Jefferson drew a foul on Darnell Jackson on the other end, but missed both charities. Brandon Rush missed a three on the other end, and O.J. Mayo, flying down the floor, found Daniel Hackett in the corner for his second three of the game.

Davon Jefferson had a chance to add to the lead, but his follow-up dunk to a Hackett miss was called as having been in the cylinder. Darrell Arthur, back in the game with three fouls, answered back with two in the lane. Then, after a pair of Mayo misses, Mario Chalmers became the first Jayhawk to score in double figures on the afternoon, hitting a three atop the key to give him 12 points on the day.

Davon Jefferson was called for his third foul of the game as the contest took a full break at the 11:22 mark with KU ahead 42-40.

15:54, second half, KU leads 35-34

Los Angeles – After Darrell Arthur missed a turnaround to start the first half, Taj Gibson picked up his third foul of the game on the other end for SC. KU came back down to tie the game up, with Darnell Jackson slamming home a miss off the glass. A minute later, he put KU ahead on an alley-oop feed from Brandon Rush, 29-27.

But O.J. Mayo’s third three of the game put USC back on top after a Darrell Arthur turnover.

From there, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers both missed slashing layups, but following another SC turnover, Chalmers drove to the hoop and was fouled while splashing one in. The free throw tied ut back up at 32, and Chalmers then swiped a midcourt pass and made another old-fashioned way, this time flashing a pose in front of the KU bench. He gave himself nine points on the afternoon so far and put KU up by three.

Keith Wilkinson tipped in a Davon Jefferson miss following an errant Brandon Rush three from the corner, pulling SC within one. Mario Chalmers’ third foul of the game led to the first full break of the second half.

Halftime, USC leads 27-25

Lost Angeles – KU forced the issue out of the timeout a bit, and a missed Russell Robinson three and runner in the lane kept the Jayhawks behind by three. Helping KU, though, was USC’s obvious youth on offense, as good shots came at a premium and there wasn’t much patience.

O.J. Mayo got to the line with 1:57 to go after being fouled on a drive. He made one of two to give himself a game-high 12 points and put SC up by four. Brandon Rush responded with a two on the baseline for his first points of the game.

Taj Gibson was then sent to the line for a bonus trip after being fouled by Cole Aldrich. Gibson missed the front end of a one-and-one, and O.J. Mayo did the same a minute later after being fouled by Mario Chalmers on the perimeter. Mayo, though, off of his miss sent a phenomenal tip pass to Davon Jefferson, who scored and was fouled int he process. He hit the free throw to put USC up by five.

Rodrick Stewart then slashed to the basket and scored a two, leaving USC with the option to hold for the half’s last shot. But a turnover turned into a Russell Robinson three with six seconds to go. Robinson pumped his fists, having tied the Jayhawks with SC, 25-25. But Davon Jefferson splashed a baseline jumper as time expired to give himself nine points and put the Trojans up 27-25 at the half. O.J. Mayo led USC with 12 points, but hit just 3-of-10 from the floor. Neither team has shot the ball particularly well, with USC shooting 37 percent and KU 34.4 in the first 20 minutes. Darrell Arthur leads KU with six points.

3:48, first half, USC leads 21-18

Los Angeles – Angelo Johnson missed a corner three for USC out of the timeout, and Darrell Arthur scored his third inside bucket of the game to pull KU within two points. On the other end, after a near-steal by Russell Robinson, Davon Jefferson was called for a charge – his second foul of the game – giving each of the Trojans’ starting big men two fouls so far.

On the other end, KU finally tied it up, extending their run to 10-0 thanks to a Rodrick Stewart leaner that dropped in after bouncing high off the back iron.

Mayo put an end to the run, hitting his second three of the game in response to Rodrick’s bucket, cutting across the top of the key. Chalmers missed a leaner on the other end, but Mayo missed a three this time. On the other end, Jackson snatched an offensive board and dropped in two, making it 19-18 USC. Jackson then pulled down a defensive rebound, but a KU turnover atop the key led to an open court dunk for Davon Jefferson, putting USC back up by three.

7:56, first half, USC leads 16-12

Los Angeles – Out of the timeout, Mayo hit all three free throws to give himself eight and put the Trojans up 14-6, making it a 14-2 run. After another KU empty possession, Dwight Lewis made it a double-digit lead with two inside.

Brandon Rush missed his first shot attempt on the other end – a long two from the right corner – but Darnell Jackson ran down the long rebound. The possession ended with Jackson airing a baby hook on the baseline and Darrell Arthur tipping the board out of bounds. But after a Mayo missed baseline two, Russell Robinson scooted downcourt and slipped in a layup off the glass for his first points, making it 16-8 USC.

Darnell Jackson got himself to the free throw line after a Dwight Lewis miss on the other end, hitting one of two to make it 16-9 with 8:42 to go. Another Mayo three miss gave the ball back to KU and Mario Chalmers hit his first three of the game, pulling the Jayhawks within four.

The SC offense continued to sputter, as Davon Jefferson missed long on a two from just inside the arc, but Mario Chalmers was called for a double dribble right after, sending the game into its third full break.

11:31, first half, USC leads 11-6

Los Angeles – O.J. Mayo went into takeover mode right out of the game’s first full break. Darrell Arthur missed a long jumper atop the key, and Mayo skied for the rebound underneath. He came down and casually splashed a three to put USC up for the first time, 5-4.

Mayo then recorded a steal after Dwight Lewis deuce inside. Sasha Kaun swatted the fast break layup out of bounds, but with USC keeping possession, Davon Jefferson got on the board for the first time with two of his own off the glass inside, making it 9-4.

Russell Robinson slashed to the rack on KU’s next possession and dumped two off the backboard, but he was called for a charge in the process, giving USC a chance to extend its 9-0 run.

The Trojans kept giving themselves opportunities, thanks to sound rebounding and sloppy KU perimeter play. Jefferson then stole a long rebound and slipped through a trio of Jayhawks into the clear. He got the ball to a streaking Daniel Hackett just beyond the three-point line for a coasting layup, making it 11-4.

Darrell Arthur ended KU’s drought after a 30-second Jayhawk timeout, taking a feed into the paint from Darnell Jackson and spinning for two off the glass. KU had a chance to add on after a failed lob attempt to Davon Jefferson, but O.J. Mayo swatted Mario Chalmers, and then on the other end was fouled while shooting a three, going into the game’s second full break.

15:42, first half, KU leads 4-2

Los Angeles – USC turned the ball over on the game’s opening possession, but KU returned the favor with a travel called against Rodrick Stewart.

Dwight Lewis missed a three on USC’s second possession. KU couldn’t answer and score first, though, as Darrell Arthur missed a turnaround jumper from the baseline. But after O.J. Mayo missed a three look, Arthur tipped in a Darnell Jackson miss to put KU up 2-0. That was followed by Davon Jefferson losing the ball off his foot, handing it back to KU with 17:40 to go in the first half.

Jackson then made it 4-0, hitting a turnaround jumper attempt of his own. O.J. Mayo came down to awaken the SC home crowd with a baseline two.

With the game still going at a very sloppy rate – USC has four turnovers at the 16:11 mark, with KU capitalizing on just two of them – Brandon Rush checked in for Rodrick Stewart.

Pregame

Los Angeles – Loads of NBA scouts and a national television crew are in the house – along with more than 10,000 spectators – to watch on of the nation’s more highly-anticipated games of the pre-conference season.

No. 4 Kansas today will be one of the biggest opponents to set foot in the Galen Center, now in its second season of operation on the campus of Southern California University. The 6-0 Jayhawks will have their hands full against the 6-1 Trojans, who since a surprising opening night loss to Mercer have been untouchable. Most recently, USC took down Oklahoma in its Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series contest, 66-55 Thursday night here in LA.

In a situation similar to KU’s game last Sunday against Arizona, a 76-72 overtime Jayhawk win, Bill Self’s squad brings the depth while the foe has the star power.Super freshmen O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson will be the headliners for SC. Mayo, expectedly, is SC’s top scorer, averaging 21.3 points per game. Jefferson is averaging 13.8, but had a great game Thursday, scoring 23 and pulling down nine rebounds against OU.