SAN DIEGO \u2014 The No. 21 USC Men’s Basketball team started strong on offense, weathered a second-half San Diego State comeback attempt and relied on its defense in an 85-68 exhibition win in the Viejas Arena on Friday night.<\/p>\n
In a game pitting USC against a stingy, Brian Dutcher-coached defense, the Trojan defense won out by winning the turnover battle 20-12. The Trojans made a decisive 15-0 run late in the first half and led by as many as 23 points before SDSU mounted a comeback attempt in the second half. On offense, USC shared the ball well, making 32 field goals off 19 assists, while eight of the team’s nine threes were assisted. USC never trailed in the game.<\/p>\n
Once again, the backcourt duo of Rodney Rice<\/a> and Alijah Arenas<\/a> finished in double figures, with Rice leading all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Arenas notched a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, the latter of which would have been his career high in a countable game. Jacob Cofie<\/a> chipped in 13 points and tied the team high with five assists while adding two rebounds and two steals.<\/p>\n The Trojan offense was humming early and didn’t relent. USC made six of its first 10 three-point attempts and would go on to make 50% of its threes in the first half. With 8:21 left in the half, Rice’s third made three of the night gave USC a 30-20 lead and the Trojans kept that double-digit lead until late in the second half.<\/p>\n Leading 32-23 with just under six minutes to play, USC’s defense turned up the pressure and sparked a 15-0 run that was effectively the knockout punch. Cofie sparked the run with back-to-back dunks while the Trojans jumped the passing lanes and forced five turnovers over the next 2:41 to take a 45-23 lead. USC pushed its lead to 23 off an Arenas and-one and took a 51-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.<\/p>\n With the starters back on the floor, USC and San Diego State traded baskets to open the second half and the Trojans took a 58-35 lead with just under 18 minutes to play. However, the Aztecs went on a 13-2 run before cutting the Trojans’ lead to nine with 10 minutes left to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet USC weathered the storm and relied on key plays from KJ Lewis<\/a> and Darius Ratliff<\/a> down the stretch. Despite playing in foul trouble for the second half, Darius Ratliff<\/a> had four blocks in the second half, while Lewis came up with four timely offensive rebounds to help the Trojans fend off the Aztecs. Cofie and Rice sparked a late, 7-0 run to put USC up 81-63 with 1:52 to play, while the defense limited SDSU to just two made field goals in the final 4:49 to seal the 85-68 win.<\/p>\n USC’s season and home opener will be on Monday, Nov. 2 against Milwaukee. Tipoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcasted on BIG+. All pertinent information will be on the men’s basketball team’s schedule page on usctrojans.com.<\/p>\n NOTES
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\n\tThe Trojans used the starting lineup of Rodney Rice<\/a>, Alijah Arenas<\/a>, Jacob Cofie<\/a>, Adonis Ratliff<\/a> and Darius Ratliff<\/a> for the second time in the exhibition season. This lineup has a 1-1 record in exhibition games.
\n\tUSC shot 60% from the field and 50% from three in the first half \u2014 both of which were the best single-half percentages for the Trojans during exhibition games.
\n\tOverall, the Trojans shot 50% from the field \u2014 a team-best during exhibition games \u2014 and 36% from three.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\tThe Trojans’ 15 steals are the most by USC in a single game under Head Coach Eric Musselman<\/a>.
\n\tUSC made 32 field goals on 19 assists, while eight of the Trojans’ nine threes were assisted.
\n\tRodney Rice’s<\/a> five threes were his most in a Trojan uniform.
\n\tAlijah Arenas<\/a> stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and committed just one turnover in 32 minutes.
\n\tDarius Ratliff<\/a> finished with seven points and four blocks, all of which came in the second half.
\n\tIsaac Bruns<\/a> chipped in a game-high three steals and five points in 10 minutes off the bench.
\n\tSix players finished with multiple steals.
\n\tThis was Head Coach Eric Musselman<\/a>‘s first win in the Viejas Arena.
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