Trojans make a big late run to pull away
Fans at Galen Center were on the edge of their seats throughout the first 35 minutes of Sunday’s game as the USC men’s basketball team got all it could handle from Cal State Bakersfield before pulling away late to post a 90-75 nonconference victory.
Jordan Usher came off the bench to score a careerhigh 22 points and pull down a career-high nine rebounds in 30 minutes. Bennie Boatwright made three three-pointers on his way to 19 points and eight rebounds. Guard Shaqquan Aaron had 18 points, 10 in the second half, as the Trojans (4-2) ended the contest on a 23-7 run.
“I was just waiting my turn … we have a bunch of guys who can step up on any given night,” said Usher, a 6foot-7 sophomore guard-forward from Canton, Ga.. “Tonight was my night. I felt like it was coming. I made cuts to the rim for easy baskets and my teammates were finding me. If we share it we are effective. When the ball has energy, it’s hard to miss.”
Making his first career start, freshman guard Elijah Weaver had a game-high five assists and scored seven points, including a threepointer on a fastbreak to give USC the lead for good, 71-68 with 6 minutes 26 seconds left. He had ankle surgery in August and was expected to sit out three months, but returned Nov. 14 against Stetson.
“It was a challenging game for us,” coach Andy Enfield said. “Give Bakersfield credit. They came out strong and shot the ball at a terrific rate. We ramped up our defense, forced some missed shots and got key stops.”
Jonah Mathews had 13 points, and Nick Rakocevic had 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, but the Trojans gave up a season-high 46 points by halftime and trailed by two.
USC has won consecutive games for the first time this season. Despite being shorthanded, the Trojans won Sunday even without guards Kevin Porter Jr. (right quad contusion) and Derryck Thornton (right ankle sprain). Both started the Trojans’ previous game against Missouri State and are day to day.
“We had a terrible preseason … nobody got any repetition and we couldn’t go five on five,” Enfield said. “It’s been a comedy of injuries but in truth it’s no laughing matter. Nick had to play a long time with four fouls, Bennie did a good job of taking quality shots and putting the ball on the floor when he needed to. Elijah is still learning the speed of the game but he contributed.”
Damiyne Durham had 22 points, including six threepoint baskets, and Greg Lee had 12 for the Roadrunners (3-3), who were held to three baskets in the last 11 minutes.
“They’re a good team, no doubt about it,” coach Rod Barnes said. “I thought we played hard, I thought we defended but we were playing against a better team. Down the stretch we had some shots that we made the last couple of games that we didn’t make today.”
There were 16 lead changes and eight ties in a game in which the Trojans bench was outscored 41-22. However, the Roadrunners’ outside shooting went cold in the second half, making only 33.3% after shooting 66.7% in the first half.