Freshman guard Isaiah Collier’s career-high 31 points at Washington on Saturday left the Huskies lead-deprived for nearly 37 minutes as the USC men’s basketball finished its road trip with an 82-75 win.
USC went out with a bang in its first matchup with Washington this season, pinning the Huskies scoreless for three minutes following tip-off. The powerful duo of freshman guard Isaiah Collier and graduate forward DJ Rodman combined for a total of 17 points in the first six minutes to carry the Trojans to a comfortable nine-point lead.
Collier, who had made just 20 3-pointers the entire season, scored back-to-back threes early in the first half.
The Trojans maintained a lead for nearly 14 minutes, but a 9-0 Husky run with 5:49 left in the first half quickly had them trailing by four. The Trojans scrambled to recover and responded with their own 9-0 run just minutes before halftime.
Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis, who ended the night with 17 points, added variety to that 9-0 run with a floating jump shot, a 3-pointer and a dunk.
Despite leading by 10 at one point, USC found itself too close for comfort at the half. Sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu’s personal foul on Washington graduate forward Keion Brooks Jr. just a second before the halftime buzzer resulted in the Huskies securing three free throws; that trimmed the USC lead to 39-38.
The Trojans remained relentless in the second half, storming out of the locker room with an immediate 10-1 run in the first 3:30. Despite zero attempts in the first half, USC’s 12 made free throws in the second proved a valuable asset as the Trojans defended their lead.
USC’s unstoppable defensive front shut down Brooks — the Pac-12′s leading scorer — from scoring in the first 12:43 of the second half.
Even when the Huskies slightly reduced their deficit midway through the half, Enfield called a timeout that propelled the Trojans into a 6-0 run.
USC’s ability to capitalize on offensive plays allowed it to successfully maintain at least a three-point lead the entire second half. Collier’s awareness and efficiency running the ball opened up the court for offensive possibilities, including the team’s 12 total assists.
“I thought [Collier] did a terrific job of reading the defense and playing under control.”
Along with his career-high 31 points limiting the Huskies to just 1:50 minutes of leading, Collier finished them off with eight points in the final few minutes.
“He was terrific in the last two and a half, three minutes,” Enfield said. “We went to him on some middle ball screen action with roll and replace. We set a couple of other screens, and he was able to get angles to the guys and finish. He was impressive around the rim tonight.”
While Collier, Rodman and Ellis dominated the scoring, junior guard Kobe Johnson’s value was reflected throughout the stat sheet. Johnson led the team in several categories, tallying nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and four steals.
“That’s a typical game for him when he’s playing at a high level,” Enfield said of Johnson. “I thought this was one of his best defensive games of the season.”
Injuries have certainly strained this team’s potential this season, but the Trojans have proven their ability to keep their heads in the game when they are healthy.
“We are playing very well,” Enfield said. “We finally got healthy, and it’s hard. … When you lose your two leading scorers, who happen to be your two lead guards, and your leading shot-blocker in the Pac-12 all at the same time, it devastated our Pac-12 season because we were short-handed and didn’t have enough offense to win some of those games.”
Three of the team’s past four losses have come in overtime, double-overtime and a one-possession game.
USC (12-17, 6-12 Pac-12) finishes out the regular season with this week’s home games against Arizona State on Thursday at 8 p.m. and No. 6 Arizona on Saturday at 7 p.m.