In its first neutral-site matchup of the season, USC men’s basketball (3-0) met the Illinois State Redbirds (1-2) at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Junior guard Rodney Rice notched his first career triple-double as USC cruised to an 87-67 victory.
It was a close and physical battle to start, but the Trojans began to pull away behind stellar play from Rice.
“I felt like last game I wasn’t as aggressive, so that was a focal point for me,” Rice said postgame. “I appreciate my teammates for being open, cutting when they should, finishing their shots.”
The Redbirds would edge closer and USC always had a response – a Rice pull-up, or a slam from junior center Gabe Dynes, or a step-back 3-pointer from graduate combo guard Chad Baker-Mazara. The Trojans employed more of a ‘win-by-committee’ approach as they settled into a comfortable offensive rhythm, though Rice continued to shine.
On the other side of the ball, senior forward Amarion Dickerson and Dynes were everywhere early, disrupting passing lanes and providing key rim protection. Dynes, who told Annenberg Media that a big part of his game is “to cover up mistakes” defensively, added three blocks in the first half.
“He was awesome on both sides,” head coach Eric Musselman said of Dynes. “Gabe’s super smart … Someone his size, [playing time] is going to be matchup-dependent.”
USC kept the Redbirds’ backcourt quiet and freshman guard Ty’Reek Coleman scoreless through the first half as the lead ballooned to 21 with just under four minutes remaining in the half. The Trojans went into the break up 40-26 despite shooting only 41.9% from the floor.
USC set the tone early in the second half behind eight straight points from senior forward Ezra Ausar. He capped off the run with a transition slam courtesy of a Dynes steal and dish.
But Illinois State wouldn’t go quietly. The Redbirds rallied and cut the USC lead to six on an and-one from Coleman.
“The start of the second half we … had about maybe a six and a half minute time span where we didn’t play at maximum defensive ability,” Musselman said. “We’ve just gotta play 40 minutes. Tonight it was, you know, maybe more [like] 34 minutes where I thought we were really, really good.”
Then Baker-Mazara got hot.
After his career-high 26-point outing against Manhattan on Monday, spectators were likely anticipating another offensive explosion from Baker-Mazara. He only logged five points in the first half but came alive in the second, finishing with 18 points and four rebounds.
Several other Trojans — including Dynes (14) and Ausar (13) — scored in double figures. But the story of the night was Rice’s persistent offensive presence. He led the Trojans in points (21), rebounds (10) and assists (10) in the second triple-double in program history and first since Daniel Hackett (22/10/10) in 2007.
“I never even got a double-double before,” Rice said. “I have a great opportunity here where I can handle the ball more, make decisions and just be more of a point guard: being more vocal, finding open guys, just trying to be as smart as I can on the court.”
“The best thing is just the joy in the locker room,” Musselman added about Rice’s accomplishment.
Coleman finished with 16 points for the Redbirds, while junior guard Johnny Kinziger chipped in 15.
USC returns to Galen Center to host Troy on Thursday before traveling to Hawai’i for the Southwest Maui Invitational on Nov. 24.