LOS ANGELES (AP) -Freshman DeMar DeRozan made the go-ahead basket to cap a career-high 18-point performance, and Southern California rallied to beat stubborn North Dakota State 61-57 Saturday.
Fellow freshman Leonard Washington added a career-high 17 points, Daniel Hackett added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Taj Gibson had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Trojans (7-3), who scored the game's final five points.
Brett Winkelman led North Dakota State (6-4) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Ben Woodside added 14 points and nine assists and Mike Nelson scored 12 for the Bison.
A basket by Woodside with 1:47 remaining gave the Bison a 57-56 lead, but DeRozan's jumper from the foul line 25 seconds later put the Trojans ahead for good.
Woodside missed a baseline jumper with 25 seconds to play that would have given North Dakota State the lead. Two foul shots by Washington and another by Gibson completed the scoring.
USC won despite committing 20 turnovers to 12 for North Dakota State. The Trojans outrebounded the Bison 27-10 in the second half for a 38-26 overall advantage. Gibson had 16 rebounds after halftime.
Neither team led by more than six points in their first meeting. The game was the second for North Dakota State against a Pac-10 team since the Bison moved to Division I four years ago. They lost at California 86-72 last December.
