LOS ANGELES -- Trae Young scored 29 points in Oklahoma's 85-83 win over No. 25 USC Friday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Staples Center, but two points he failed to record were on the freshman guard's mind afterward.

"I have that Kobe (Bryant) gene in me. We're at the Lakers' (arena), Staples Center. I was trying to knock them down," Young said of his two missed free throws with three seconds left, which gave USC a last-second, desperation heave for the win.

Young came into Friday's game shooting 89.8 percent from the free throw line, but despite the misses, continued at his nation-leading scoring pace of 28.7 points per game. More importantly for the Sooners (7-1), he powered them to their first win over a Top 25 opponent this season.

Oklahoma appeared to be headed for a comfortable win when, with 16:41 remaining, Christian James made a 3-pointer off of one of Young's nine assists to push Oklahoma ahead by 18 points.

But USC (4-3) was not ready to take its third consecutive loss without a fight. Elijah Stewart made seven 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 23 points, keeping the Trojans from falling any further behind.

"This team would never give up. We're always going to keep fighting," Jordan McLaughlin said.

USC gained a reputation for its comebacks in the 2016-17 season, and nearly engineered another Friday.

"We tried to get the score down by (each) media timeout," McLaughlin said. "We looked to do that, and give ourselves a chance to win."

A trio of baskets in the paint from Nick Rakocevic and a running hook shot by Chimezie Metu after a solid defensive stretch brought the Trojans within four points.

McLaughlin answered an and-one conversion from Oklahoma's Khadeem Lattin with a 3-pointer to again bring USC within four at 70-66 with 7:19 remaining. McLaughlin's own and-one with 11.5 seconds to go pulled the Trojans to the game's final, two-point deficit -- the closest USC had been since 9-7 at 17:54 in the first half.

USC's 17 turnovers were the Trojans' most since committing the same number Nov. 13 against North Dakota State. Giveaways led to periods of offensive stagnation for the Trojans in both halves.

"It's been a struggle this year, at times. Too many turnovers, missing easy shots, not sharing the ball," USC coach Andy Enfield said. "We finally started sharing the ball (in the second half), started making shots, and we actually looked like a pretty good team."

USC began clicking after intermission, shooting 48 percent from the floor. On the defensive end, however, the Trojans never found an answer for the backcourt duo of Young and James.

James scored 19 points. He made 5 of 6 attempts from behind the 3-point arc, pacing Oklahoma on a blistering 48.4 percent shooting night deep (15 for 31) for the Sooners.

Meanwhile, Young -- the nation's leader in points per game who was also ranked third nationally in assists coming into Friday's game -- controlled the game's flow enough to keep USC at arm's distance despite the rally.

For his efforts, he won the game's Most Valuable Player award.

"Trae's had four terrific weeks," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "What he's getting is deserved."

Brady Manek joined Young and James in double-figures with 15 points. McLaughlin scored 20 points, Metu netted 13 and Rakocevic and Bennie Boatwright both recorded 10 for USC.

NOTES: Oklahoma freshman G Trae Young fell one assist shy of his fourth double-double just eight games into his college career. ... Sooners junior F Bennie Boatwright has shot below 40 percent from the floor in all three of USC's losses. He went 3-for-13 Friday. ... USC, which was outrebounded in its previous two losses, beat Oklahoma on the boards, 45-32.