Nick Martinelli scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and his basket with 2.6 seconds left helped Northwestern men’s basketball hold off USC 77-75 on Tuesday in Evanston.

Nick Martinelli capped a 27-point night by hitting a scoop shot with two seconds remaining to give Northwestern a 77-75 win over Southern California on Tuesday in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern

With 35 seconds remaining and Northwestern clinging to a 74-71 lead, graduate student center Matthew Nicholson was fouled on his way to the basket. Had he converted both free throws, the game would have been all but decided.

However, it was all for naught. USC's defense allowed NU's Nick Martinelli to hit a go-ahead jumper with 2.4 seconds remaining. The Trojans subsequently turned the ball over on their final offensive possession, thus ending the game and handing them a 77-75 loss.

Nick Martinelli scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and his basket with 2.6 seconds left helped Northwestern hold off USC 77-75 on Tuesday night. Martinelli split a double team near the baseline and softly laid it in to give Northwestern (13-10,

In its first game since coach Chris Collins publicly ruled out senior guard Brooks Barnhizer for the season with a foot injury, Northwestern rode a flurry of offensive rebounds to a 77-75 victory over USC.