Southern Cal rallies past Western Michigan 55-51 Eds: APNewsNow. Southern Cal 55, Western Michigan 51.

HONOLULU (AP) Mike Gerrity scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half and Southern Cal beat Western Michigan 55-51 Tuesday in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic.

The Trojans (6-4) trailed 27-18 at halftime after shooting just 22 percent from the field but shot 54 percent in the second half to rally past the Broncos (4-5).

Western Michigan's Martelle McLemore tied it at 50 with a 3-point play with 1:50 to go, but Gerrity scored the next four points to give USC a 54-50 lead with 21 seconds left. David Kool hit the front end of two free throws for the Broncos on their next possession, but his 3-point attempt with five seconds left was no good.

Marcus Johnson, Nikola Vucevic and Dwight Lewis had 10 points apiece for USC.

McLemore led all players with 21 points, and Kool added 11.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 12-22-09 1904CST | save this article / add to your favorites list