Musselman Notches 250th Career Win In 102-63 Victory Over Banana Slugs

Sunday, December 21

Los Angeles, Calif.

1 p.m.

USC

12-1,1-1Big Ten

102

UC Santa Cruz

6-7,0-0C2C

UC Santa Cruz

Southern California

102

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

Musselman Notches 250th Career Win In 102-63 Victory Over Banana Slugs

December 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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The Trojans put up season-highs in assists (28) and dunks (13).

LOS ANGELES – The USC Men's Basketball (12-1, 1-1 Big Ten) wrapped up non-conference play with a 102-63 win over the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs (6-6) on Sunday afternoon.

The victory was Head Coach Eric Musselman's 250th collegiate head coaching win. With the result, USC finished the non-conference slate with a perfect record for the first time since 2021-22.

From the onset, USC was the more athletic team from the jump. The Trojans outscored the Slugs 74-14 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 53-15 — the second-best rebounding margin in school history. The Trojans connected on 40 of their field goals on a season-high 28 assists, plus USC scored 26 of its points on a season-high 13 dunks. Four Trojans finished in double figures, and 11 players scored to help USC break 100 points for the third time this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Ausar got the ball rolling for USC's offense, scoring the first four points to put the Trojans up 4-0. He then dropped a dime to Gabe Dynes for the easy bucket down low. Dynes scored again off a lob from Chad Baker-Mazara in transition, who added a pair of free throws at 15:25 to earn an 8-3 lead. But UC Santa Cruz kept pace by making five of its first seven three-point attempts to take a 15-14 lead. Ryan Cornish answered immediately with a shot from downtown to help USC regain an advantage with just under 10 minutes to play.

USC kept UC Santa Cruz scoreless for the next four minutes, until a three-pointer brought the Slugs within one, 19-18 at 8:15. A shifty layup from Baker-Mazara and a trip to the free throw line pushed the Trojans ahead 23-18. The Slugs found a shot in the paint before USC went on a 14-3 run highlighted by Ausar's three-point play, a dunk from Jacob Cofie, and another Baker-Mazara three to give the Trojans a 37-23 lead with four minutes to go.

UC Santa Cruz would hit its eighth three-pointer — its last field goal of the half — before the Trojans closed the half on an 8-0 run. USC's run was capped off by Baker-Mazara, who flew to the sky to grab a monster offensive rebound and slam home the putback. The dunk gave the Trojans a 45-26 lead heading into the break.

Baker-Mazara opened up scoring in the second half and gave USC a 21-point lead — an advantage the Trojans would keep for the rest of the game. Dynes rejected a shot at the top of the key and made his first of five dunks of the game on the other end. While a trio of threes fell for UC Santa Cruz, four straight dunks from Dynes and Ausar made it a 67-39 ballgame. After Jerry Easter II dished it cross-court to Dynes for the clear bucket, Easter took it down on two consecutive possessions for the fastbreak layup, and USC was up 73-39 with 11 minutes left to play.

The Trojans kept their scoring touch in the paint, with the next six points from Marsh and Cofie at the rim. Jaden Brownell added one from beyond the arc, then he converted a three-point play at 6:52. USC kept overwhelming the Slugs on offense, seeing EJ Neal Jr. and Brit Burden notch their first points of the season in the paint. Staying consistent the rest of the way, USC wrapped up the game with a dominant 102-63 victory.

NOTABLES

Graduate transfer Kam Woods made his debut for the Cardinal and Gold, finishing the game with six assists, five rebounds and three steals. He also surpassed 300 career assists in the game, bringing his total to 303.
Gabe Dynes posted a season-high 16 points and four blocks in his first start for USC.
Ezra Ausar recorded 15 points and three rebounds, reaching 550 career rebounds in the win.
Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 15 points, marking his eighth-straight game with at least 15 points, which is tied for the longest active streak in the Big Ten. He also tied his season-high with seven rebounds.
Jaden Brownell surpassed 850 career points and recorded a season-high three assists, concluding the game with nine points and five rebounds.
Terrance Williams II tied his season-high of seven rebounds, previously done against Manhattan.
Sophomore Brit Burden scored his first points of the season.
EJ Neal scored a season-high four points on 2-for-3 shooting in his fourth appearance of the season.
This win was the Trojans' third 100+ point game of the season, and their 39-point margin of victory was the team's largest of the season.
USC recorded a season-high 28 assists and tied its season-high with 11 players scoring. For the second time this season, all eligible Trojans logged minutes in the contest.
USC is now 1-0 all-time vs UC Santa Cruz, and Coach Musselman is now 1-0 against the Banana Slugs.
Today's starting lineup featured Ezra Ausar, Chad Baker-Mazara, Gabe Dynes, Ryan Cornish and Jacob Cofie. This lineup is 1-0 on the season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on playing UC Santa Cruz today…
"Super thankful for Santa Cruz, because there were some Division I schools that we couldn't get to say yes. Santa Cruz stepped up and said they'd come play. Their players voted that they wanted to play. I do give their coach and players a lot of credit for taking an opportunity to play against a Big Ten team."

Coach Eric Musselman on Kam Woods' impact…
"He's going to force us to run more. He's going to allow us to play in transition way more than we have because he's a kick-ahead, pass-first mentality. He led us in assists tonight. He's a guy that's going to really, really help us. He's a high-assist player and a high-steal player."

Coach Eric Musselman on Alijah's return to practice…
"Alijah is going to help us a lot. Great passer, willing passer. One-on-one player. Can go get a shot whenever he wants. He'll add three point shooting. We're really long with him and Chad out there at the guard spot."

Kam Woods on what he brings to USC…
"I'm just bringing that energy and that dog that I got in me. I feel like that's what the team needs. Of course we're good, but I want to be that extra step that will get us over the hump, especially going into conference play."

Gabe Dynes on his interior scoring…
"I had a huge size advantage, and I was trying to take advantage of that, but a lot of my scoring was off catches in the post. My guards did a good job of getting me the ball where I can just get it and go up."

Kam Woods on making his USC debut…
"When I first got in, I thought I could contribute. In the second half, I felt good. That's when I started getting assists and bringing the energy. Getting back in that first game, I definitely needed this game instead of playing Michigan in my first game. It was definitely great."

Gabe Dynes on establishing his role on the team…
"I would say staying consistent. It's kind of confusing for some people, but a better matchup for me is playing another 7-foot guy than it is playing a 6-foot-5 guard, which we've been playing a lot of those teams at the center spot. I've had to stay consistent with what I do, keep blocking shots and know that my chances are coming."

Kam Woods on his connection with Amarion Dickerson impacting his decision to go to USC…
"Definitely a lot. I hate that he's hurt. We definitely got a connection on the court and off the court, but it helps knowing that he's in my ear and that he can help me with everything. I was there for him last year at Robert Morris coming in from JUCO. He played JUCO and his first year D1 was last year, so now it's reverse roles. He helped me now, so I definitely love that guy and it feels good being here with him."

UP NEXT
USC resumes Big Ten play with a three-game road trip, starting with a matchup at No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 2, 2026, at 4 p.m. PT. Fans can watch on Peacock or listen through ESPN LA 710.