USC Men's Basketball Survives Late Push By UT Arlington 98-95

Wednesday, November 13

Los Angeles, Calif.

8:00 p.m.

USC

3-0,0-0Big Ten

UT Arlington

1-2,0-0WAC

UT Arlington

Southern California

Desmonde Claude shoots a free throw for USC

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

USC Men's Basketball Survives Late Push By UT Arlington 98-95

November 13, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Highlights Press Conference Notes and Quotes

Trojans improve to 3-0 after defeating Mavericks at Galen Center.

LOS ANGELES – A strong performance from junior guard Desmond Claude helped the Trojans remain undefeated Wednesday night as they downed the UT Arlington Mavericks 98-95 at the Galen Center.

Claude put on his best performance of the season so far, scoring a team high–and personal season high–26 points after shooting 75 percent from the field. Claude also led the team with eight assists and was second on the team with five rebounds.

"This is going to help us down the line in March, these kind of tight games," graduate forward Josh Cohen said after the game. "I know it's not against the greatest opponent in the world, but that team is a good team. They came out there on fire and we still won the game. We won the game, regardless of what anyone said. USC won the game tonight."

The Trojans needed every point from Claude as they traded blows with UT Arlington. Both teams shot over 55 percent from the floor, but the Mavericks' 67 percentage from beyond the arc kept the game close.

"Their three-point shooting is as good as any team that I've seen" head coach Eric Musselman said. "I can't remember any of our teams ever giving up 16 threes. So, defensively, we have some things that we really have to get better at."

In comparison, the Trojans dominated the paint. On the back of a 19-point, 8-10 showing from Cohen, the Trojans outscored the Mavericks by 26 inside. Graduate forward Terrance Williams II shined in his regular season debut, scoring 18 points on 70 percent shooting, while sophomore guard Wesley Yates III scored 14 points off the bench. This was the second consecutive game with double digit points for both Cohen and Yates.

Sophomore Kevin Patton Jr. also made his USC debut on Wednesday evening, knocking down a dagger from beyond the arc within his first two minutes on court. Patton Jr. contributed seven points off the bench, two boards, a block, a steal and an assist.

With the win, the USC improved to 3-0 on the season, while UT Arlington fell to 1-2. This was the first ever meeting between the two schools in men's basketball.

The Trojans will return to the court on Sunday evening when they host former Pac-12 rival Cal. Tipoff will take place at 6:30 p.m. PT.