::View a slideshow on the game here::

For the second straight contest, the No. 18 ASU men’s basketball team (20-5, 9-4 Pac-10) used technical free throws to seal its opponent’s fate.

This time around, it wasn’t a player responsible. USC coach Tim Floyd, rather, blew a gasket and the Sun Devils capitalized en route to winning 65-53 on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena.

With 48 seconds left and his team trailing 57-51, USC junior guard Daniel Hackett drove to the hoop. He made contact with ASU sophomore guard Jamelle McMillan, sending him to the floor.

That’s when things got a little crazy.

One referee signaled it should have been an and-one opportunity, but he was overruled by another official who said it was a charge.

That’s when things got really crazy.

Floyd ran out past midcourt and picked up a pair of technical fouls before getting escorted off the floor by security. One can only imagine the choice words he had to say.

As for after the game, Floyd was mum.

“I did see [a replay of] that play, but I can’t comment on it,” Floyd said. “We don’t have freedom of speech, as coaches. We cannot discuss those things. I can’t discuss it. Maybe Obama will change that rule, and we can talk.”

ASU senior forward Jeff Pendergraph said he thought Floyd was going to punch the referee.

McMillan said he made up his mind that he was going to fall to the floor whether his feet were moving or not. It didn’t hurt that ASU sophomore guard Rihards Kuksiks got ripped on by ASU coach Herb Sendek for not taking a charge in a timeout just minutes before.

The Sun Devils held a 29-20 lead at the break, thanks to a turnover-free first half.

But The Trojans (15-9, 6-6) didn’t lie down. In fact, they took a 38-37 lead about seven and a half minutes into the second half.

That prompted a 30-second timeout from Sendek. Whatever he said, it appeared to work, as ASU went on a 15-2 run over the next six-plus minutes.

The Sun Devils executed their game plan efficiently, recording 17 assists on their 22 field goals. Meanwhile, they turned the ball over just four times, their lowest total in nearly 18 years.

For the second game in a row, ASU had great offensive balance, as five players scored at least nine points. ASU junior guard Derek Glasser led the way with a career-high 18 points, while Pendergraph added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

McMillan excelled in front of his father, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, hitting 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc en route to totaling 11 points.

“We do need [Nate McMillan] at all the games,” Pendergraph said.

“Jamelle be making everything when his dad is here.”

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.