Four Trojans Notch Double-Digit Points in 90-69 Win Over CSUN

Wednesday, December 18

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

USC

8-4,1-1Big Ten

CSUN

7-4,1-1Big West

CSUN

Southern California

Four Trojans Notch Double-Digit Points in 90-69 Win Over CSUN

December 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Press Conference

This is the third-straight game where USC Men's Basketball won by more than 20 points.

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (8-4, 1-1 Big Ten) spent the last two games showing everyone what they are capable of, and tonight was no different. The Trojans hit the court at the Galen Center to take on the CSUN Matadors in non-conference play. Even with a tight score at the half, the Trojans dug deep to earn their third straight 20-plus point win as they took down the Matadors 90-69.

The first half started in favor of the Matadors as they won the jump ball and grabbed the first point of the game. After those first 32 seconds, the Trojans took control. Once they warmed up, USC went on a 9-0 run that pushed them ahead by 12. However, the Matadors were a gritty team that began chipping away at the Trojans' lead. With just 12 seconds left in the first half, CSUN took a two-point lead over USC. The Matadors thought they would head to the locker room with the advantage, but Kevin Patton Jr. had a different idea. With just a few seconds left on the clock, Patton landed a three-pointer off a pass from Desmond Claude, which gave USC the one-point lead heading into halftime.

Once the two teams returned to the court, the Trojans picked up where they left off. USC went on an eight-point run, keeping CSUN at bay for the first two minutes of the second half. Even though the Matadors put themselves on the board, USC made it known that they were in control. With back-to-back three-pointers from Saint Thomas and five made free throws from Claude, the Trojans pulled ahead and never let up. USC finished out the night with their third straight win as they took down CSUN with a score of 90-69.

NOTABLES

The Trojans started Saint Thomas, Josh Cohen, Chibuzo Agbo, Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III for the third consecutive game. This is the first time this season that Head Coach Eric Musselman went with the same lineup in three straight games. This is also the only three-game stretch where four Trojans earned double-digit points.
USC shot 100 percent from three for the first 12 minutes of the game.
Chibuzo Agbo made his 29th consecutive free throw and became the first Trojan since 2016 to achieve that mark.
Josh Cohen notched his 200th career assist. He now stands at 201 career assists.
In his 85th career game, Saint Thomas notched 16 points, seven boards, two assists and one steal.
This is the third straight game and sixth this season where four or more Trojans finish with double-digit points as Chibuzo Agbo had 23, Desmond Claude had 21, Saint Thomas had 16 and Josh Cohen had 12. USC is 5-1 when four Trojans finish with double-digit points. This is also just the second time this season that two Trojans finished with more than 20 points.
Desmond Claude notched his 900th career point against CSUN. After tonight's game, he is only 92 points away from securing 1,000 career points.
The Trojans held the Matadors to 10 percent from three-point range in the second half.
USC is 6-2 when Chibuzo Agbo makes at least two three-pointers. Agbo was also the first Trojan to hit double digits on Wednesday evening, recording 10 points within the first 12 minutes of the game. This led to Agbo ending the night with a season-best 23 points and five made three-pointers.
Desmond Claude contributed to 46 of USC's 90 points - scoring 21 points and adding 25 points through his nine assists.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Eric Musselman on Desmond Claude's ball movement…

"Desmond was phenomenal. There are not a lot of point guards in the country that play a whole season and can have a nine-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and score the ball at the rate that he hits."

Head Coach Eric Musselman on limiting CSUN's offense…

"We had to hold two of their top three guys in check, and we were able to do that. We did a really good job of staying attached and a really good job of shrinking the floor."

Head Coach Eric Musselman on the importance of recruiting from Los Angeles…

"A big attraction to USC was looking at the landscape of players coming out of LA. LA has always had incredible talent. There are great high school coaches in LA, so we hope to get guys in the future who are well coached too."

Desmond Claude on his development as a point guard…
"I would say just watching a lot of film and listening to the coaches like Will Conroy. He played in the NBA and was a point guard. A lot of guys that have been around the league, so just listening and trying to read the game and watching a lot of game film. Another big thing is just trusting my teammates. I know they can shoot and I know they're going to make the plays."

Desmond Claude on the team hitting its stride…
"We're figuring out how to play with each other, but I do think we're starting to click. We have some new plays and we're just trusting Coach because that's all we can do - trust the game plan. Coach has been to a lot of places, so just listening and continuing to do our individual work. It's paying off and we're getting better. The game is slowing down for a lot of us and we're playing well."

Chibuzo Agbo on the team's offensive performance…
"They were collapsing a lot in the gaps and giving us some open threes. A lot of these guys have been in the gym every single day just getting shots up and it's starting to show. We shot 63 percent as a team from the three, so a lot of guys were hitting tonight and that's just a testament to the work."

Chibuzo Agbo on his ability to draw fouls on threes…
"I just try to land. I want to land when I shoot the ball and people don't let me land, so I tend to get the calls."

UP NEXT
The Trojans will play their final game of the non-conference slate on Sunday, Dec. 22, inside the Galen Center. Tip-off will be at 1 p.m. For those who can't make it to Los Angeles can watch on the Big Ten Network or listen through usctrojans.com/listen.