Men’s basketball overcame a slim, one-point halftime deficit against Grambling State with a strong second half to defeat the Tigers 80-69 at Galen Center Sunday night.
Head coach Eric Musselman introduced his sixth starting lineup variation of the season, with graduate transfer guard Josh Cohen and graduate transfer forward Saint Thomas as the lone consistent members of the starting five.
The Tigers tipped off with claws out, grabbing a personal and technical foul in the first minute. It was subtle foreshadowing for the team, which collected another technical in the second half and an additional 23 personal fouls before the final buzzer.
Although USC’s free-throw shooting was under average at 69.7%, the Trojans managed to grab 23 points from their 33 free-throw attempts. Transfer graduate forward Terrance Williams II went 7-for-8 at the line to account for all of his points.
Cohen — the team’s most efficient shooter, now averaging 12 points per game at 71.4% from the field — led the Trojans through a first-half battle with 16 points and five rebounds.
While Cohen proved potential in the paint, USC struggled to shift Grambling’s zone defense and sink open shots.
“Their zone is unique because they reach a lot,” Musselman said. “When you get the ball in the middle, they collapse and they’re super aggressive. We just had way too many passes deflected.”
Grambling’s senior guard Kintavious Dozier was a dominant force on offense, putting up 15 points in the first half and forcing struggles on Trojan defense.
“To start the game, their star [Dozier] was getting clean looks and getting shots within rhythm without us disrupting him at all,” Musselman said.
It was the only time this season USC hasn’t entered halftime with a lead, but the Trojans made some notable adjustments on both sides of the ball. They returned to their traditional man-to-man defense to limit Grambling to 31 second-half points and slightly improved shooting across all fronts of the stats sheet.
Graduate transfer guard Clark Slajchert was efficient with his second-half minutes, subbing in at 14:59 in the second half after playing the last six minutes of the first. His quick agility adjusted the on-court dynamic, allowing him to collect a steal, two assists and a three-pointer in just two minutes.
“You never know how quick he is laterally until you actually see him live,” Musselman said. “That’s why, you know, adjustments are super important at halftime. That’s why adjustments in timeouts, I think, can help or hurt a team.”
Slajchert’s steal-and-assist to Thomas for a layup was just one play of the Trojans’ 19-2 run, but it impacted more than just the players on the court.
“If you had to pick one play that happened from a momentum standpoint, it was the steal,” Musselman said. “It got a little bit of the crowd involved somewhat… I know our bench had a lot of energy after that.”
Graduate guard Chibuzo Agbo catalyzed the Grambling drought with an electric left-wing three. He proceeded to drain two more from the same spot in just over three minutes. The Boise State transfer had all of the team’s four second-half three-pointers to contribute to his final 21 points. Agbo is now just seven points away from 1,000 in his career.
Cohen expressed the importance of a collective effort to open up the court for Agbo.
“We’ve also been in the film room finding ways to get Chibuzo easier shots,” Cohen said. “We’ve got to, as a team.”
The Trojans followed USC football’s method of finishing strong — a rivalry win against UCLA following a fourth-quarter deficit on Saturday — and closed out the Tigers with a 6-0 run. Junior transfer guard Desmond Claude sealed USC’s fate with four of those six points in the last minute of the play.
“It’s probably the third out of our competition games that he’s been a closer,” Musselman said. “He does such a great job of getting to the basket and contorting his body to draw fouls, but also to try to finish plays.”
Claude picked up two rebounds and two assists in the first half, but all of his 14 points came in the second frame.
“Certainly in the second half, we felt like we needed [Claude] to have the ball in his hands a little bit more, especially when they went man to man,” Musselman said.
The Trojans are headed to The Acrisure Classic this week in Palm Springs, where they will tip off against Saint Mary’s at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
“St. Mary’s is a pretty tough team from a defensive standpoint,” Musselman said. “They know every read on how you play… They are a machine offensively… In my opinion, they’re as well coached as anybody in the country.”
This week’s series is USC’s last few reps before the Trojans return to the Galen Center for Big Ten play December 4 against Oregon.