USC men’s basketball brought home their first pre-season win, taking down UC San Diego 80-74 on the road in a West Coast showdown.
The Trojans turned the heat up in this exhibition matchup with highlight-worthy dunks, timely threes and a defensive hustle established by the Muss Bus; they were able to control UC San Diego throughout the game. Coming off a 88-70 loss to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in their first exhibition game, the Trojans looked to bounce back and build the needed momentum ahead of the regular season.
Senior guard Rodney Rice finished with 26 points, sophomore guard Alijah Arenas reached 22 and junior forward Jacob Cofie contributed 10 rebounds, establishing a presence on the glass as USC closed out a back-and-forth battle.
“Just being aggressive, just making plays at the end of the day, that’s all it comes down to,” Rice said in a postgame interview. “Attacking the basket, getting easy shots, getting easy points, getting to the free-throw line.”
After a struggling first few minutes, the Trojans gained momentum when freshman center Darius Ratliff threw up an early dunk off an assist from Rice. Arenas followed with a dunk of his own, setting the tone for a USC offense that put on a show.
The defense, on the other hand, had to keep up with the Tritons as they didn’t hold back. Senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff stayed red-hot from beyond the arc, knocking down multiple three-pointers to keep UC San Diego in the game. His shooting turned the game into a back-and-forth battle as the lead changed hands as both teams were trading buckets.
USC began to establish its defense and created separation with balanced scoring. Arenas continued to attack the basket with a layup while senior guard KJ Lewis hit a step-back three to aid in the Trojans maintaining their advantage. Rice added a clutch triple, pushing USC’s lead to 33-27 with four minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Tritons didn’t let up as they had one more run in them. Eaglestaff continued his scoring streak with some free throws, and UC San Diego regained their lead, 33-34. Senior forward Leo Beath added a three-pointer to keep the pressure on USC, but Arenas answered with double floating jumpers, and Ratliff hit a three to put USC back in front.
With just 36 seconds left, Arenas delivered a final bucket to give the Trojans a 40-38 halftime lead.
The second half brought the same intensity as USC looked to build on its halftime advantage. Arenas continued to take the charge, while Rice and the supporting transfer class helped create more separation on the scoreboard.
Arenas connected a three-pointer and a driving layup as the Trojans began to pull away, but their energy continued to persevere. Rice knocked down a three to extend the lead, followed by highlight-reel finishes from Lewis and Cofie. Lewis threw down a dunk, and Cofie slammed one of his own and built a 62-52 lead.
Defensively, the Trojans made their presence felt despite senior guard Jalen Cox and Lewis fouling out with five minutes left in the game. With these two key contributors sidelined, USC had to lean on its remaining players on the final stretch of the game.
Ratliff recorded five blocks, including one against Eaglestaff. This pressure continued to protect the lead as the Tritons struggled to score.
But they refused to go away, as Beath and senior guard Rahmir Barno sparked a comeback and cut UC San Diego’s deficit to three. Eaglestaff remained the biggest threat as he hit a three, tying the game 68-68, erasing USC’s double-digit lead and setting up a tense final few minutes of the game.
USC fought back with a crucial play by Cofie, who laid up a dunk to put the Trojans back ahead, and they clung to a 71-70 lead. Rice came through at the free-throw line as the Tritons tried to close the gap, but foul trouble created a challenge as each team began trading free throws.
Eaglestaff cut USC’s lead after converting two free throws, but Rice countered with two free throws as well and added another free throw from Arenas to protect the lead.
“I thought taking away the three in the second half and then rebounding the basketball and then we did a really good job down the stretch of getting free throws, not settling,” head coach Eric Musselman said in a postgame interview.
USC sealed the win at the line when Rice converted two more free throws with 10 seconds left to push the score 80-74.
The Trojans will return to San Diego to face off against San Diego State University at Viejas Arena on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. PDT.
Edited by Adriana Brady and Brooke Lordino.