LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans were able to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Saturday night, 78-73, but in many instances, it was yet another too-close-for-comfort win.
LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans were able to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Saturday night, 78-73, but in many instances, it was yet another too-close-for-comfort win.
From the jump, it looked as though the Trojans were bouncing back nicely after their disappointing one-point loss to Iowa on Wednesday, shooting an impressive 55% from the floor and securing a 40-30 over Rutgers heading back to the locker room.
It was even more evident that USC was catching its stride offensively as big man Jacob Cofie was on a tear in the first half, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the floor and leading the team with 12 points.
Coming out of the tunnel for the second half, the Trojans picked up right where they left off, as they would go on an eventual 8-0 run and extend their lead over the Scarlet Knights, 51-32.
Ezra Ausar was the difference maker for USC in the second half, notching a team-high 21 points, and being a monster down in the paint was a point of emphasis for Musselman.
"Tonight, we wanted to score points in the paint, and I thought it was the best game of the year for Ezra to rim run and seal. It was by far his best post sealing that we've seen, and if he does that, he's really, really hard to stop in the lane," Musselman said on the performance of Ausar's post game.
As the second half clock ticked, the Rutgers change of game plan began to go their way, while on the other hand, the Trojans were beginning to feel the burn.
Rutgers was initiating a full-court press for the final three minutes of the contest, and the Trojans had no answers.
By the end of regulation, the Trojans committed 12 turnovers, which the Scarlet Knights turned into 18 points.
"We've got to be way better; there's no excuses, but it really started offensively," Musselman said. "About the three-minute mark, we had a fastbreak, took it to the basket, shot got blocked, and they went and scored an easy basket. That kind of started it, we couldn't back the ball out like we'd had been."
In the matter of mere minutes, it was a one-possession game with three seconds left, and Rutgers guard Tariq Francis was hustling down to half-court, until Chad Baker-Mazara came away with the ball on a clutch steal and secured the win for the Trojans.
"I was basically baiting him," Baker-Mazara said on the sequence of the final possession of the game. "I know he likes to do the left-to-right cross, so I was baiting him to do the cross, and I was waiting on him to do that because coach was emphasizing that all week."
The Trojans have an important home game next time out, as they have the Indiana Hoosiers slated at the Galen Center on Tuesday.
Category: General Sports
