Shorthanded No. 16 USC falls at home to veteran UC Irvine

Devin Tillis hadn’t made a three-pointer all night. Still, he hit the shot when it counted.

The UC Irvine forward managed to make a game-clinching three-pointer with 37.4 seconds remaining to secure Irvine’s 70-60 upset of No. 16 USC at Galen Center on Tuesday.

The Anteaters (2-1) overcame career-highs from freshman Isaiah Collier (23 points) and junior Harrison Hornery (17 points) by delivering a stellar performance from redshirt senior guard Justin Hohn, who scored a career-best 25 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Tillis finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

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USC was without senior guard Boogie Ellis, who missed the game due to a sprained right ankle. Forward Kobe Johnson also missed a second consecutive game with left knee discomfort.

Ellis’ absence was noticeable compared to Irvine’s experienced players. The Anteaters had five upperclassmen in their starting lineup, with junior center Bent Leuchten starting 26 games last year and finishing with 19 points and six rebounds on Tuesday. Irvine returned three starters from last year’s team that upset then-No. 21 Oregon in Eugene on Nov. 11, 2022, and won the Big West.

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USC’s early-season growing pains were evident in several of Collier’s seven turnovers. He fired a pass out of bounds with 12:14 remaining in the second half with the Trojans trailing by six points and immediately signaled to Joshua Morgan that he should have run the wide-open baseline in the situation. The teammates remained out of sync in crunch time. With USC trailing by three with less than two minutes remaining, Collier zipped the ball to Morgan under the basket that slipped through the forward’s hands.

Collier’s seven turnovers were a career worst and he finished with just one assist.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.