USC men’s basketball goes cold late in loss to UConn
The USC men’s basketball team just kept hanging around against Connecticut on Thursday night. The Trojans’ disciplined defense had helped cut a 13-point second-half deficit into a one-possession game.
But the Trojan offense went cold at the worst possible time. After an Isaiah Mobley jumper with 8:06 to play, USC missed 13 of its final 14 shots, including three misses on the final possession as USC had a chance to tie with 34.3 seconds to play.
But with all three shots – the first a wild layup by Drew Peterson, the next two missed 3-point tries by Noah Baumann and Evan Mobley – bouncing harmlessly off the rim, the Trojans dropped their first game of the season, 61-58, at the Legends Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
“It was a struggle to score down the stretch,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said.
USC (3-1) was led by Evan Mobley, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots and went 9 for 11 from the free-throw line. UConn guard James Bouknight led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Bouknight was just 5 for 15 from the floor but made three of the Huskies’ seven 3-pointers.
The first-half offense for USC was uneven without starting point guard Ethan Anderson (back) in there to direct the traffic. USC shot well enough (44% on 25 attempts) and limited its turnovers to four. But there was no flow, and USC managed just two assists on 11 made baskets.
This left Mobley out of the action for much of the first half. The 7-foot freshman center made two quick baskets, one a soft hook and the other through a foul for a three-point play. But he didn’t attempt a field goal for the final 17 minutes before halftime.
USC finished the game with four assists, three coming from Mobley and one from guard Tahj Eaddy, starting in place of Anderson.
“In a game of toughness, Ethan is one of our toughest players,” Enfield said. “I thought we wore down a little bit and you saw that late in the game when Tahj missed some wide-open 3s. … Ethan, just to have another ball handler, his depth, his toughness, we really missed him tonight.”
Defense kept USC in the game, but it also led to some issues. The Trojans were too lax in on-ball situations and allowed UConn (3-0) to step back into some uncontested 3-pointers, making 6 of 12 from distance to take a five-point lead at halftime, in part due to solid play off the bench by Max Agbonkpolo and Baumann, who combined for 13 points.
Tyrese Martin added 11 points and seven rebounds for UConn, and Isaiah Whaley had 10 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots. UConn outrebounded the Trojans 42-31, with Josh Carlton grabbing a game-high 11.
The Huskies, playing in their home state but in an eerily silent arena, went on a 14-6 run to start the second half. But USC went back to a zone defense that gave UConn fits, allowing the Trojans to get back into the game.
“I thought our zone was a little soft early,” Enfield said. “The second half, I thought our zone was excellent. We really got back in the game and made them take some tough shots.”
Mobley became more assertive, too, with some drives to the rim and post-up plays. It wasn’t enough to tilt the outcome of the game, but Enfield saw it as a growing experience for his young center.
“I think Evan now has played two high-level games and he understands what it takes to win at this level,” said Enfield, whose team split its trip to Connecticut with a win over BYU on Tuesday. “I think Evan and the rest of our team are gonna understand the level of intensity and the level of physicality that you need to compete at this level.”