On Wednesday night, the Trojans’ three-game win streak came to an end after the team fell 89-82 to Ohio State.
USC (18-7, 7-7 Big Ten) clawed all the way back from a nine-point deficit in the final minutes of the game, cutting the lead to two before Buckeyes senior guard Bruce Thornton secured the decisive, game-ending rebound.
While freshman guard Alijah Arenas poured in a game-high 25 points, the Trojans were unable to hold their momentum when it mattered most.
“We didn’t close out the last four minutes of the game,” said USC assistant coach Earl Boykins. “When you’re on the road, you have to close out the game at the defensive end, and tonight, we did not do that at all.”
The first half of the ballgame was controlled by USC with senior guard Kam Woods and senior forward Ezra Ausar leading the charge. Junior forward Jacob Cofie chipped in seven points in a two-minute burst late in the first half, boosting the Trojans to a 43-40 advantage at the break.
The 43 points marked the second-highest first-half scoring output for the Trojans in Big Ten play this season. But, the second half told a different tale as USC missed 10-of-13 shots to open the half. The Buckeyes came out hot on a 9-0 run to flip the game in their favor.
From there, it was pure chaos and a constant chase to regain composure for the Trojans as USC found itself trailing 67-60 with eight minutes left.
Like the team has done numerous times this season, they mounted a late-game run and Jordan Marsh was the catalyst.
The junior guard finished with all 13 of his points scored in the second half, beating the shot clock with a deep three to put the team within a point of tying up the game. Trailing by six later on, he drew a foul on a three-point attempt, icing two of his three free throws. Marsh’s grit also helped him get up and block what would be an easy layup on the other end, and after a successful USC challenge on the inbounds play, he drained another three to make it a two-point game.
In his past two games, Arenas has also been rolling. He followed up Marsh’s three with one of his own from the corner to put the Trojans within one, but it was too late. Ohio State went on to outscore USC 7-1 down the stretch – mostly from the free-throw line – to close out the win.
While this game didn’t go in USC’s direction, Arenas has emerged as one of the Big Ten’s most riveting players. Last night was his third consecutive game with at least 20 points, serving up 29 against Indiana and 24 at Penn State.
In addition to his scoring, he also had three assists and three steals. Woods logged his third straight double-digit game with 14 points and six boards. Ausar and Cofie contributed 13 and 12 points respectively.
USC’s inability to close games has been a trend all season. Wednesday’s game was USC’s eighth consecutive contest decided by 10 points or fewer, the longest run by a Big Ten team since the Fighting Illini in 2012.
Speaking of Illinois, the Trojans will host the No. 5 Fighting Illini next Wednesday, February. 18. With a week to recover from the loss, USC must search within and address its shortcomings so they’ll be ready to face one of the best teams in college basketball.