The losing streak continues for USC men’s basketball (8-13, 2-8 Pac-12), as Thursday night’s 78-69 loss to Oregon (15-6, 7-3) at Galen Center is the Trojans’ sixth straight loss. The last time the Trojans won a game was back on January 6 versus Stanford.
Oregon freshman guard Jackson Shelstad scored a game-high 20 points. Shelstad was on fire right away, making his first six straight shots to begin the game.
USC fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis scored a team-high 17 points, and sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers added 12. Sellers has had the hot hand lately, hitting double-digit points in four out of the last five games.
“With guys out, I had to step up. And that’s what I am trying to do,” Sellers said.
The Ducks began the game by putting on a shooting clinic, starting 6-for-9 from three. Shelstad was causing problems for the Trojans from beyond the arc, hitting jumper after jumper.
However, the Trojans’ defensive intensity picked up halfway through the first half, forcing more challenging outside shots for the Ducks. After a hot start, the Ducks missed seven straight attempts, closing the half by shooting 7-of-17 from deep.
The Trojans found much of their first-half offensive success by carefully moving the ball. The Trojans focused more on getting shooters open than playing isolation ball, creating 13 assists in the first half. The game plan helped USC stay afloat early on, shooting 50% from the field.
Yet, in the first half, the Trojans constantly fought an uphill battle. The Ducks created an early presence in the paint, grabbing 21 rebounds, and that interior presence allowed for 13 second-chance points. USC’s frontcourt had no answers of any kind.
“Our four bigs aren’t very good defensive rebounders; in fact, they are poor,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “You can’t keep playing 15, 20, 25 minutes a game and have zero or one defensive rebound.”
Enfield pointed to older centers he coached at USC that played with toughness and a desire to rebound, which he feels many players lack on this team.
“These bigs [in the past] that we have had in this program could all rebound, and they got better,” Enfield said.
Going into halftime, the Ducks led 46-39.
After the poor shooting from three to end the half for the Ducks, they got back on track in the second half. Oregon converted on its first four attempts from range, helping to build a 16-point lead.
The second half continued to be a problem for the Trojans, who, yet again, found themselves down double digits for most of the half. The Trojans couldn’t get into any rhythm as the ball movement from the first half disappeared. Junior forward Kobe Johnson scored zero points in the second half, going 0-for-5 from the field.
“If you’re not going to be focused and do your job, you’re just going to come out,” Enfield said.
While Oregon’s hot shooting fizzled out midway through the half, their double-digit lead provided a cushion for them. The Trojans tried to make a last-ditch push, even cutting the difference to seven points in the final minute. However, it was a little too late for the Trojans.
“[Oregon’s] aggressiveness on the rebounding end was a factor tonight, because we fouled them a few times, and they got in the bonus,” Enfield said.
The Trojans are back in action at Galen Center on Saturday against Oregon State (11-10, 3-7) at 4 p.m.