A missed free throw from star freshman guard Alijah Arenas was all it took to give below-0.500 Penn State a chance late in Sunday’s back-and-forth contest. After a layup tied the game at 75, Head Coach Eric Musselman took a timeout to reset the offense, with one final chance to escape cleanly.

The Trojans, after erasing a 12-point deficit earlier in the half, were looking to complete the double-digit comeback in State College. Still on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a win for USC (18-6, 7-6 Big Ten) was critical, and Musselman knew exactly what play he wanted to call: Get the ball right back in Arenas’ hands.

The freshman delivered, driving into the paint, banking a layup off the backboard and through the net with 0.7 seconds on the clock to clinch the 77-75 win over the Nittany Lions (10-14, 1-12).

The game-winning shot left Musselman drawing comparisons between Arenas and his father, three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who Musselman coached when they were with the Golden State Warriors from 2002 to 2003.

“We ran a little zipper with the double stagger on a side that we’ve never worked on,” Musselman said in a postgame interview broadcast Sunday. “It brought back memories of his dad, [when] I ran that same play against the Knicks. Same result, a bucket to win it.”

Musselman was right, as he drew up the play for Gilbert Arenas on Feb. 21, 2003, more than 20 years before his son executed the same play against Penn State in 2026.

The win pushed the Trojans over 0.500 in Big Ten play for the first time since Dec. 2, as they prepare for multiple critical matchups in the final month of conference play, including a bout with Ohio State (15-8, 7-6) on Wednesday. USC is now 7-1 in one-possession games — a trend the Trojans will look to keep up as they enter a difficult stretch. 

The win also marked USC’s 18th of the season, surpassing Musselman’s total from last season’s disappointing finish, which saw them miss the NCAA Tournament. According to ESPN’s Bracketology, USC has stayed in contention for a tenth-seed.

Woods, Arenas stay in groove

In three games starting with a Jan. 28 loss to Iowa (18-5, 8-4), graduate guard Kam Woods entered Sunday averaging nearly 20 points, three assists and two steals a game.

Against Penn State, he put together another strong performance, scoring 13 points on top of nine assists and four steals, almost earning his first double-double as a Trojan. Despite his strong offensive stats, Musselman said Woods’ impact on defense, including a team-best 23 steals, is just as critical.

“Kam Woods has changed our entire season since he came,” Musselman said in a postgame news conference. “Kam leads our team in steals, and he joined us just a couple of weeks ago.”

Several of Woods’ assists were to Arenas, who led the Trojans with 24 points and three 3-pointers, on top of the game-winning shot. After putting up 29 points against Indiana (17-8, 8-6) in a resurgent performance, Arenas has taken the reins from graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara to become the face of the team.

“Alijah Arenas has been phenomenal,” Musselman said. “Obviously, we wanted to put the ball in his hands at the end of the game, and I’m glad we got his iso at the top of the key.”

For his back-to-back strong performances, Arenas was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week — his first collegiate honor — and Dick Vitale’s Diaper Dandy of the Week, an award given by the legendary coach and broadcaster to the top freshman in the country.

Bench steps up after Baker-Mazara injury

Sunday’s win also came without Baker-Mazara, who is day-to-day with a Grade 1 knee strain that he sustained during Tuesday’s win over Indiana. It was the first game Baker-Mazara, USC’s leading scorer and minute-getter, averaging 30.2 minutes per game, has missed all season.

In Baker-Mazara’s absence, junior guard Jordan Marsh and junior center Gabe Dynes provided key contributions. Marsh scored 9 points, all coming from treys, while Dynes blocked four shots and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in 15 minutes.

“Off the bench, Jordan Marsh and Gabe Dynes gave us an absolutely huge lift,” Musselman said. “Dynes did a great job protecting the rim and altering shots. Marsh, especially when [Penn State’s defense] went zone, became a 3-point threat for us.”

Four of the starters had at least one steal as USC forced 17 turnovers against Penn State. The defense stepping up, like in Sunday’s win, has been a huge help for the Trojans all season, especially in close games. Beginning with the victory against Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4), four out of the Trojans’ last five games have been decided by one score, with the lone loss coming at Iowa.

USC will look to ride Arenas’ hot streak when it rolls into Columbus, Ohio, to face the Buckeyes on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. With the teams tied in the Big Ten standings and on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a win would prove crucial for both teams’ postseason odds.