USC men’s basketball survives scare from Long Beach State to stay undefeated

LOS ANGELES — After a sputtering archetypal half, the USC men’s hoops recovered itself successful a gully with Long Beach State heading into the halftime locker room. It wasn’t the benignant of show the Trojans had go accustomed to during their undefeated commencement to the season, connected either extremity of the court.

But past a Chevez Goodwin put-back enactment USC backmost up and was rapidly followed by an Isaiah Mobley 3. A Goodwin escaped throw, a Mobley and-one, different Goodwin second-chance bucket and past a Boogie Ellis 3-pointer, and USC had rattled disconnected a 14-0 tally to commencement the 2nd half.

It was the spark that USC needed to instrumentality a 73-62 triumph implicit LBSU and amended to 10-0 connected the season.

Mobley led USC with 21 points and 12 rebounds, portion Drew Peterson added 15 and Max Agbonkpolo socred 11.

It wasn’t precisely similar USC cruised distant from Long Beach State (3-7) pursuing the tally to unfastened the 2nd half. Colin Slaters scored 9 of his 12 points successful the 2nd fractional to springiness LBSU hope, portion Romelle Mansel scored 10 disconnected the bench.

But immoderate timely shooting from Agbonkpolo with back-to-back 3s and an Ellis bargain and skip walk up up to Mobley for a dunk with 2:15 to play helped seal the triumph for USC.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Peterson was the lone happening that salvaged a necktie astatine the fractional for the Trojans. Nine first-half turnovers by USC led to 13 Long Beach State points. LBSU attacked the overgarment for 14 points successful the opening 20 minutes, shooting 51.7% against the typically-stout Trojan defense.

It near the assemblage astatine the Galen Center, including a afloat pupil section, quiescent for overmuch of the archetypal fractional but for erstwhile caller caput shot manager Lincoln Riley was introduced connected the court.

But USC tightened up erstwhile necessary, holding Long Beach State to 8-for-31 shooting successful the 2nd fractional to unafraid the win.