Three Trojans Register 20+ Points In USC Men's Basketball's 99-89 Win Over Iowa

Tuesday, January 14

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:30 p.m.

USC

11-6,3-3Big Ten

Iowa

12-5,3-3Big Ten

Iowa

Southern California

Three Trojans Register 20+ Points In USC Men's Basketball's 99-89 Win Over Iowa

January 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Post-Game Press Conference

The Trojans had numerous season-bests tonight as they defeated one of the top offensive teams in the NCAA.

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) returned to Galen Center as they continued with Big Ten play against the University of Iowa. The Trojans dominated in their return home as they defeated the Hawkeyes 99-89 to earn their second-straight conference win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
USC got off to a hot start as Desmond Claude stole the ball and Saint Thomas sank a three. This continued as the Trojans prevented one of the best shooting teams in the country to go four minutes without scoring. Even though the Hawkeyes did what they could to pick up the pace, USC did not allow the visitors to get close as Wesley Yates III applied pressure by registering 10 points in just eight minutes. Every time the Hawkeyes would score, the Trojans would respond with a basket of their own, keeping their opponents at a healthy distance. This resulted in USC maintaining a 16-point lead heading into the half as the score sat at 48-32.

The Trojans picked up where they left off when they returned to the court for the second half as Chibuzo Agbo lit up the stat sheet with seven points in the first three minutes. USC kept with this trend, making 10 of their next 12 baskets to give them a 15-point lead heading into the final eight minutes of the game. This was when Iowa started its pursuit of the lead as they made three straight baskets to prompt USC to call a timeout. The Hawkeyes closed in on the Trojans even more as they got within five. That was the closest they would get. With Claude and Thomas leading the Trojans, USC finished out this game strong as they took down the Hawkeyes 99-89.

NOTABLES

Desmond Claude officially surpassed 1,000 career points tonight, scoring 25 points against Iowa. He currently has 1,011 career points.
Claude scored or assisted on 48 of the Trojans' 99 points against the Hawkeyes.
The Trojans made their first three shots of the game and shot 70 percent through the first nine minutes.
Wesley Yates III had another phenomenal night for the Trojans as he wrapped up the game with a career-high 21 points while also contributing four assists.
Saint Thomas had his best performance in a Trojan uniform, scoring 24 points while adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Thomas surpassed 900 career points this evening and currently sits at 903. He also shot a career-high 90 percent from the floor.
Rashaun Agee notched a massive 10 boards and nine points for the Trojans. Agee is USC's first double-digit rebounder in a game this season.
Chibuzo Agbo was another Trojan who had a strong showing in the Galen Center as he finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Four Trojans finished the game shooting 70 percent or higher from the floor: Thomas (90 percent), Yates (72 percent), Agbo (72 percent), and Agee (80 percent). Both Thomas and Yates shot 75 percent or higher from beyond the arc.
USC is undefeated this season when scoring 75 or more points, currently boasting an 11-0 record when that happens.
The Trojans' 99 points are the most they have scored this season.
Yates III and Claude played all 40 minutes against the Hawkeyes.
USC tallied a season-best 27 assists against Iowa.
The Trojans shot at 64.9 percent from the field and made 66.7 percent of their three-point attempts against Iowa, making this their most efficient game of the season.
USC forced a season-high 21 turnovers against Iowa.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on Saint Thomas' performance against Iowa…
"He's been great. He can do so many things. He is one of those guys you can put all over. That is what we want our team to be like. He is a triple-double threat. Saint did a great job cutting and his shot selection tonight was incredible."

Coach Eric Musselman on the evolution of the team this season…
"We have really expanded our playbook a lot. The guys will tell you we have a new play every game. We have kept all of our new plays. However many games we have played, that's how many new plays we have added. We are also running harder. We watched the film, and they were jogging. Once the players were able to see that on film, we are now running way harder than we were before."

Coach Eric Musselman on Wesley Yates III's recent impact…
"Yates' minutes and evolution of his game has changed our season. He stretches the floor for us. He gives us another ball handler. He is super strong and really aggressive. It is really important that a young player emerges. He's really good right now, but you can only imagine what he can do next year after he gets a full year of playing experience. He is already a really good player, but his confidence is growing, too, by the game."

Desmond Claude on what USC has shown so far this season…
"We've shown that we're tough, that we're a good team, and that we have a lot of pieces. One of the biggest things is staying disciplined with what we do and our core principles. Staying consistent and trusting it, that is one of the things it comes down to."

Desmond Claude on what he is proud of this season…
"Everybody has continued to play hard and nobody gave up, even when things weren't going our way early on. Everybody wanted to figure this out, so we kept practicing hard and sticking to our principles. That's the thing I'm most proud of. We want to win, and we're willing to do everything it takes."

Saint Thomas on building a team culture…
"It all starts with our intensity levels in practice. Everybody knows the standard of what USC Basketball is, and we've built a culture in this locker room, so every day, we know what we have to do and what our goal is."

Saint Thomas on Wesley Yates III's role…
"Wes has taken on a difficult challenge. He's guarding the best player every night and pressuring him. When Des comes out, he has to play the guard. He has a lot of things he has to do on this team. For a freshman to do that, he's going beyond and exceeding in that role."

UP NEXT
The Trojans will return to Galen Center this Saturday, Jan. 18, as they take on the Badgers of Wisconsin. Tip-off will be at noon. For those who can't make it to Galen Center, they can watch on Big Ten Network or listen through ESPN LA 710.