USC won its first-ever Maui Invitational Tournament after a dominant second half to defeat Arizona State 88-75 on Wednesday. The game was a back-and-forth affair until the second half, when the Trojans shot 59.6% from the field and held the Sun Devils to 32% to break the game open.
The Trojans entered the game without junior guard Rodney Rice, who was ruled out after suffering a shoulder injury in the semifinal game against Seton Hall. However, Rice’s absence created more opportunities for the Trojans’ depth to deliver. Four different players scored in the double digits, led by graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 23 points on 56% shooting and four 3-pointers.
In the first half, neither team led by more than five points. It was a half defined by foul trouble and runs by both teams. USC sent Arizona State to the line 13 times in the first half to allow the Sun Devils to stay in the game, despite shooting under 40% from the field in the half.
Graduate forward Jaden Brownell was a massive momentum shift for the Trojans, scoring a season-high 16 points in the game. He hit back-to-back threes in the first half and had tough buckets at the rim to help him score 10 of his 16 points before halftime.
Baker-Mazara had 11 points in the first half but struggled after being called for a technical foul for a celebratory “gun” gesture after hitting a stepback 3-pointer in the face of ASU redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr. This led to him getting benched for a while, stalling his rhythm.
Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie was a rejection machine, finishing with three blocks – two in the first half – and added pressure within the paint which led to Arizona State’s offensive struggles.
The USC fouls kept Arizona State in the game near the close of the first half, with Brownell picking up three fouls alongside Cofie and senior forward Ezra Ausar picking up two. As a result, the game was tied 43-43 at halftime.
In the second half, the story began to change. Cofie started the half with a turnaround jumper to get the offense rolling immediately.
Baker-Mazara got back into his rhythm and became an offensive force in the second half. He hit a 3-point shot from the corner and then on the next Trojan possession, he facilitated an overhead pass to Ausar into the lane for a clean dunk. On the very next trip down court, Baker-Mazara went to work on freshman center Massamba Diop and hit a step-back jumper over Diop to extend the lead, making the game 55-47.
Arizona State had a quick 4-0 run after senior guard Anthony Johnson made two free throws. Then, Johnson came up with a steal and a transition layup to give the Sun Devils some momentum back. But Brownell answered with a reverse-and-one layup to end that momentum. A few possessions later, Brownell buried a left-wing 3-pointer that made the game 69-63, and after that, USC never looked back.
USC extended its lead to double digits when Ausar muscled his way past Diop for a layup to add to his 14-point, six-rebound performance.
Arizona State was unable to respond to USC’s attacks. Senior guard Moe Odum, who averaged 31 points in the Maui Invitational coming into this game, was held to 17 points on 4-of-12 shooting and only made two baskets in the second half.
Even without Rodney Rice and foul trouble, the defensive pressure combined with the offensive efficiency led to USC’s 88-75 victory and its first Maui Invitational trophy.
With this win, USC moves to 7-0 on the season and now looks forward to the start of conference play in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday, Dec. 2.