USC bounced back emphatically from a grueling three-game road trip, securing an 88-71 Big Ten victory over the Maryland Terrapins at Galen Center on Tuesday night.
After a tough stretch that included back-to-back losses at Michigan and Michigan State, followed by a resilient 70-69 overtime victory at Minnesota, the Trojans returned home for their first game since Dec. 21st. The team shook off any lingering fatigue to deliver a complete performance, outrebounding a strong Maryland frontcourt by 11, limiting the Terps to just four offensive boards and dominating with 23 assists on only six turnovers. They also completed a season-high 235 passes.
The first half was competitive, with USC edging ahead 42-41 at the break. Maryland guard David Coit was unstoppable early, scoring 20 points in the first half, but the Trojans stayed close thanks to balanced scoring and strong defensive effort.
The second half, however, belonged to USC. Their defense tightened significantly, holding Maryland to 30 points while the Trojans pulled away with better spacing, ball movement and bench energy. Head coach Eric Musselman said, “Our second-half defense was much improved from our first-half defense.”
The bench was the story of the night, producing a season-high in points. Players such as sophomore guard Jordan Marsh and freshman guard Jerry Easter II stepped up to help fill the void of multiple absences.
“If you would have told us on November 1st that we were going to win a Big Ten game by double digits, without Elijah, without Chad, without Rodney Rice and without Amarion, that would not happen in our minds,” Musselman said. “But it’s a resilient group.”
A major factor in the victory was Marsh, who led all scorers with a season-high 20 points including four 3-pointers. He is a player who has seen his role and confidence explode, whereas earlier this season he had games where he attempted zero shots. The coaches encouraged him to shoot more after noticing his strong percentages, and he delivered in the second half as a spark plug off the bench.
Marsh entered the game quickly to stretch the defense and provide a perimeter threat when the team lacked spacing. He attacked his spots, trusted his shot and facilitated when needed.
“I was just getting to my spots, and I just trusted my shot,” Marsh said. “You know, I work on it all the time. So I just believe it’s going in every time.”
His +19 plus-minus on the floor underscored his impact and was key in flipping the games momentum.
“The coaches, they told me I was shooting like 48% from three, and I didn’t know that, they just kept telling me to shoot the ball, shoot the ball, shoot the ball,” Marsh said. “That’s just confidence. Just keep shooting the ball.”
Multiple Trojans reached double figures, Marsh with 20, Cofie and Ezra Ausar each with 12 apiece, Gabe Dynes with 10 and Jerry Easter II adding 10, showing the unit’s increased togetherness. USC outscored Maryland 46-30 in the second half, building leads as large as 19.
This win improves USC to 14-3 overall, and 3-3 in Big Ten play.
Musselman called this group one of his most fun and challenging teams. “It’s been challenging and draining, but there are a lot of guys that I’m going to want to have a great relationship with when they’re gone from here.”
The Trojans now look ahead to hosting No. 5 Purdue on Saturday at 3:00 pm, riding the momentum of back-to-back conference victories.