Isaiah Mobley, Boogie Ellis help USC crush CSUN in season opener

LOS ANGELES — When Isaiah Mobley decided to retreat from the NBA Draft and instrumentality for his inferior twelvemonth with the USC men’s hoops team, helium was promised the accidental for an expanded relation connected the team.

In Tuesday night’s play opener against Cal State Northridge, Mobley took afloat vantage of that accidental arsenic helium played a relation successful astir each facet of the Trojans’ crippled successful an 89-49 triumph astatine the Galen Center.

Mobley finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds (three offensive) and 3 assists.

Energy flowed backmost and distant betwixt Mobley and transportation defender Boogie Ellis, who had 20 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.

With astir 14 minutes near successful the archetypal half, Mobley dished an assistance to Ellis, who leaped for a wide-open jumper to enactment the Trojans ahead, 17-10. Within the adjacent minute, Ellis deed a 3-pointer and went successful for a layup, the second made imaginable by an Isaiah White steal.

Mobley had situations of seemingly implicit control, specified arsenic erstwhile helium fought for a antiaircraft rebound successful the overgarment and dribbled his mode to a 3-pointer that further extended the borderline to 35-15.

Ellis lit up the scoreboard immoderate much earlier the archetypal fractional expired, erstwhile getting a walk from Mobley for a jumper and erstwhile executing a bargain for a brisk fast-break dunk.

USC was 21-for-32 shooting successful the archetypal fractional and outrebounded CSUN 20-10 for a 52-19 pb by the break.

As Trojans seat players were rotated successful during the 2nd half, Ellis and Mobley chatted portion seated and were among the archetypal to observe large plays.

The brace near the tribunal with 7 minutes near successful the game. Prior to that, they made immoderate last large plays for themselves. Mobley assisted Ellis connected a 3-pointer, and Ellis turned a bargain into a layup to propulsion the USC pb to 64-30.

Atin Wright led the Matadors with 10 points and elder constituent defender Darius Brown had 10 points and six rebounds.

USC adjacent travels to Temple University connected Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off. CSUN volition beryllium astatine Notre Dame connected the aforesaid day.

More to travel connected this story.