USC Men's Basketball Tames Penn State In 92-67 Win

Tuesday, February 11

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:00 p.m.

USC

14-10,6-7Big Ten

Penn State

13-12,3-11Big Ten

Penn St.

Southern California

USC Men's Basketball Tames Penn State In 92-67 Win

February 11, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Post Game Press Conference

Chibuzo Agbo led the Trojans with a career-high seven three-pointers.

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (14-10, 6-7 Big Ten) returned to Los Angeles for another Big Ten game as they took on the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Trojans came out hot and carried that momentum throughout the game as they grabbed the 92-67 win over the Nittany Lions.

HOW IT HAPPENED
USC started this game with the lead as Saint Thomas contributed the first bucket of the game. From there, these two teams exchanged baskets until, again, Thomas sank a three that put the Trojans up by four. USC continued to build on this lead with the help of Desmond Claude who returned to the lineup for USC. The Trojans went on an 11-point run while preventing Penn State from scoring for over five minutes, which allowed USC to gain a 17-point lead. However, the Nittany Lions started fighting back, working to close the gap between them and the Trojans. Despite Penn State's efforts, USC still finished the first half on top as they headed to the locker with the score sitting at 40-31.

USC made the first basket of the second half thanks to a three-pointer from Chibuzo Agbo. From there, the Trojans made four straight baskets that allowed them to go up by 19 over the Nittany Lions. Penn State tried to find a way to battle back, but USC would not allow it. By the end of the game, USC grew their lead even more as they secured the 92-67 win. This is their second straight win back home in the Galen Center.

NOTABLES

The Trojans shot season-highs for field goal percentage (67.3 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (75.0 percent) against the Nittany Lions.
Agbo had a career-best night from three as he made seven total and shot 78 percent. This performance is tied for fifth in the USC record book for the most three-pointers in a game. The last time a Trojan made at least seven three-pointers in a game was Feb. 28, 2019.
Wesley Yates III started in his 15th career game this evening. The redshirt freshman scored 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.
After missing the past two games due to injury, Desmond Claude returned to post 16 points while shooting at 83 percent from the field. He also led the Trojans in assists with eight.
USC held PSU scoreless for over five minutes in the first half. USC also kept the Nittany Lions from making a field goal for over 7:30 in the first half.
Josh Cohen recorded his 800th career rebound against the Nittany Lions. He currently sits at 804 career rebounds.
Yates III and Cohen led USC in rebounding with five boards each.
The Trojans scored 40 points in the first half against the Nittany Lions. USC is now 8-1 when scoring 40-plus first-half points.
Chibuzo Agbo went 6-for-6 from behind the arc in the entire second half.
The Trojans made their first 12 field goal attempts to open the second period of play with five of those coming from three-point range.
USC had four Trojans in the double digits - Chibuzo Agbo (21), Desmond Claude (16), Wesley Yates III (13) and Josh Cohen (12).
Three Trojans threw down dunks against the Nittany Lions - Rashaun Agee (1), Matt Knowling (1) and Jalen Shelley (1). PSU did not have any dunks on Tuesday evening.
The Trojans outscored Penn State in the paint 40-26.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on Josh Cohen's performance against Penn State…
"Josh was phenomenal. He was super aggressive, especially with his defensive rebounding. Our game plan was to utilize shot fakes and get into the players' chests, and Josh did a phenomenal job of drawing eight fouls. Credit to him for fouling out the Big Ten leader in blocks."

Coach Eric Musselman on Jalen Shelley's emergence in USC's rotation…
"You always hope you can find someone who can alter your decision-making when it comes to lineups and rotations. Offensively at Purdue and offensively tonight, I thought Jalen was phenomenal. You have to give the guy an opportunity. Obviously, our rotations changed this season and he's playing his minutes the right way."

Coach Eric Musselman on USC's upcoming schedule and the competitiveness of the team…
"This was a big game. Minnesota is a big game for us. This team, regardless of our record, really competes. It's been one of the most fun teams I have ever coached. When we travel, those environments have not really affected our guys."

Josh Cohen on this role with the team…
"I didn't come here to score 20 points a game, I came here to go to the NCAA tournament. I told Coach whatever we've got to do to get to the tournament, I will do. Just being focused coming out here, whatever role it is."

Josh Cohen on Wesley Yates III's toughness…
"Sometimes we forget that he's a freshman. He's playing fantastic. We have a bunch of guys that are playing at a super high level, and Wesley is just a hard-nosed guy. We knew that when we first got here."

Desmond Claude on the team's injury management…
"I have no doubt that even if I didn't play or that Wesley or Chibuzo didn't play, they were going to pull it out given the way that we prepared. We did everything we could in a quick amount of time to get everybody back, and we're all tough. This was a very important game, and we had to dig deep within ourselves and lock in."

Desmond Claude on building trust with Coach Musselman…
"We have so many weapons and I don't think a lot of people realize it. It's just up to us to create. He gives us that freedom and we earned that freedom. He didn't just give it to us. We had to earn it, and he had to trust us."

UP NEXT
USC will be back in the Galen Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, to take on Minnesota. The Trojans and the Gophers will tip off at 1 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.