Aaron shines as USC advances to tournament final

He helps seal victory with clutch shooting off the bench.

HONOLULU — Shaqquan Aaron passed the ball and cut through the Middle Tennessee defense. He sat in the right corner and waited.

USC was overloading the right side in an attempt to get Aaron or Bennie Boatwright an open shot against the Blue Raiders’ zone.

When Boatwright caught the ball, a defender immediately closed out on him. He swung the ball to Aaron, who lined up a shot and fired. It swished through the net.

“They left me open, so I had to hit the shot,” Aaron said. “It was down the stretch. I love these moments.”

The next time down the floor, the sequence repeated. The Trojans’ twopoint lead had been expanded to six with two minutes remaining. They held on for an 89-84 victory Saturday afternoon at the Stan Sheriff Center to advance to the Diamond Head Classic championship on Christmas.

Boatwright and Chimezie Metu combined to score 50 points for USC (8-4), but both credited Aaron with winning the game.

“He came in off the bench and he gave us great intensity on defense,” Metu said. “He helped us get out [in transition]. He made some big shots down the stretch. I think he’s the main reason why we won tonight.”

Aaron scored 10 points and added two assists, two rebounds and a steal with no turnovers.

USC needed someone to step up as it was forced to start a different lineup for the sixth straight game because of injuries. Guard Jonah Mathews sat on the bench with a walking boot.

He reinjured a sprained ankle when he was stepped on by a defender during a win over Akron.

Mathews went through early warmups with the team but was visibly hobbled.

“It’s kind of comical,” coach Andy Enfield said. “When we show up, we don’t know who is going to play and who’s not.”

Enfield did have Boatwright back for a full game for the first time in four games. He finished with 23 points.

UP NEXT

Monday vs. New Mexico State, 3 p.m., ESPN2 — The Trojans advance to the championship of the holiday tournament with their final opportunity to make a statement in their nonconference schedule. The Aggies are coming off an upset of No. 6 Miami and are led by Zach Lofton’s 18.5 points per game.