COL BKB: Michigan State 74, USC 69

MINNEAPOLIS, March 22 (UPI) -- Travis Walton sank two key late jumpers Sunday, helping Michigan State top Southern California 74-69 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game at Minneapolis.

MSU went up 69-68 with 4:20 left on the first of Walton's big shots, and the second made it 71-70 less than a minute later.

The Spartans (28-6), the second seed in the Midwest Region, held a 40-37 halftime advantage and were pressed by USC the entire, defensive-dominated contest.

Walton scored a team-high 18 points. Durrell Summers scored 11 with eight rebounds, while Kalin Lucas and Delvon Roe scored 10 each and Goran Suton added seven with 10 rebounds and three assists for the Spartans, who will play defending national champion Kansas, the third seed, at the Sweet 16 Friday in Indianapolis.

Dwight Lewis paced USC with 19 points and five rebounds. DeMar DeRozan scored 18 with five rebounds, and Daniel Hackett added 13 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Trojans (22-13), who had pasted seventh-seeded Boston College Friday.