Turnover-ridden Trojans tumble in season opener loss to Florida Gulf Coast

Fifth year guard Drew Peterson gained some steam on the break and cut to the left, but lost the ball in the transition. Florida Gulf Coast picked it up and turned it right back around, as senior guard Isaiah Thompson finished with a smooth behind the back move and layup with 14:40 left in the game for the largest lead of the night up until that point.

Head coach Andy Enfield called a timeout to gather his team, but the stoppage couldn’t turn the tide. The Eagles mounted a 25-10 run in the next 10 minutes to jump out to a 20-point lead, catching fire from beyond the arc and leaving USC in the dust by the end of the game.

After a failed late comeback, the Trojans were toppled in a 74-61 loss on the first day of the college basketball season.

“Our offense just went into a deep freeze,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “We have to be better. I thought we were prepared to play tonight, and it didn’t look like it, so that’s on me … It looked like [the players] went back to some bad habits.”

Turnovers, a familiar foe to USC last season, returned with a knockout punch. The Trojans coughed up five turnovers in the first five minutes of the game and accumulated 15 on the night.

Florida Gulf Coast junior guard Chase Johnston and Thompson combined for 36 points with six 3-pointers. The two were the driving force of the second-half run that buried the Trojans.

USC went on a too-little-too-late run in the last few minutes of the second half, cutting the deficit to just nine points before the clock caught up with them.

The Trojans struggled with their new offense centered around guard play rather than a focal point big man. Senior guard Boogie Ellis ended up shouldering the scoring load, finishing with 19 points on 5-for-13 shooting.

“We don’t have the luxury of having a dominant big guy scorer like we’ve had in the past,” Enfield said. “We’re trying to play with a flow and a pace, and you saw some overdribbling. You saw some uncharacteristic turnovers in transition.”

USC feigned a suffocating defense early on, holding the Eagles to 18.2% shooting in the first five minutes of play. The Trojans started with a 13-4 advantage, as an Ellis 3-pointer forced an FGCU timeout.

The lead grew as large as 11 points, but the Eagles wiggled their way back into the game as the first half went on, tying the game up at 22 a piece with 5:15 to go. This coincided with a brutal shooting stretch for the Trojans which allowed FGCU to take the lead.

At the half, the Trojans led by a measly one point.

“We’ve got to set the tone offensively,” Peterson said. “When the ball stays stagnant … it trickles down to the rest of the guys, and it’s a bad example for the freshmen. That’s on us to take care of.”

Shooting from beyond the arc caused all sorts of problems. USC was 1-for-12 at the break. Open looks were created, but not converted. That remained the case for the rest of the night, as the team finished 3-for-19 from three.

“There’s really no frustration,” Ellis said. “I see all these guys work out, and they make shots in practice…When we’re not making shots, we gotta figure it out, get to the line, do other things. We can’t just rely on the 3-point shot.”

The Trojans started the season down two forwards, with only redshirt junior Joshua Morgan, sophomore Harrison Hornery and freshman Kijani Wright available to play.

Morgan had himself a night on the defensive end, racking up seven blocks and two steals. He showcased a new mobility, picking up his feet for steals and meeting defenders at the rim to contest shots.

Offensively, though, Morgan couldn’t get into a rhythm and foul trouble in the second half forced him to the bench.

“A lot of [our] big guys were outrunning their bigs in transition, and we didn’t reward them,” Ellis said.

Peterson affirmed his need to step up as a veteran in the locker room after a bad result to start the season.

“It’s a learning experience for us,” Peterson said. “Two years ago, we were a Tahj Eaddy shot away from losing to Cal Baptist first game. Even good teams go through stuff like this…We’re going to take a lot from this game, and better believe we’ll be ready Thursday.”

USC will search for its first win of the season Thursday at Galen Center against Alabama State.