USC Men's Basketball Drops Road Game To Northwestern 77-75

Tuesday, February 4

Evanston, Ill.

6:00 p.m.

USC

13-9,5-6Big Ten

Northwestern

13-10,4-8Big Ten

Southern California

Northwestern

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

USC Men's Basketball Drops Road Game To Northwestern 77-75

February 04, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Trojans outshot the Wildcats 51 percent to 40.1 percent from the field in this close contest.

EVANSTON, Ill. – USC Men's Basketball (13-9, 5-6 Big Ten) kicked off their Midwest road trip in the greater Chicago area as they took on the Northwestern Wildcats. It was a tight game between these two teams as the score was tied heading into the final 30 seconds. When the final buzzer sounded, it was Northwestern who came out on top as USC fell 77-75 at Welsh Ryan Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first basket of the game went to the hometown kid as Rashaun Agee sank a three-pointer. The Trojans progressed from there, going up by five in the first three minutes while keeping Northwestern off the board. However, the home team wasn't having it as they quickly battled back for the three-point lead. From there, Northwestern began taking the lead as the Wildcats went on an eight-point run while USC was in a scoring drought that lasted for over two minutes. Clark Slajchert was the one to end USC's drought. Another basket from Matt Knowling helped the Trojans get within four as they also held the Wildcats to only one basket out of 13 attempts. The remainder of the first half was a gritty battle between these two teams in search of a big win. With a last-second bucket from Kevin Patton Jr., the Trojans were only down by two heading into the locker room as the score sat at 33-31 in favor of the Wildcats.

It was a slow start to the second half for the Trojans as the Wildcats built on their lead. The Wildcats went on a 15-4 run over USC in the first seven minutes of the second half, making an even bigger hole for the Trojans to dig themselves out of. Every time the Trojans would try to gain some momentum with a basket, the Wildcats would respond with a basket, not giving USC a chance to chisel away at the lead. That was until USC went on an 8-1 run led by Wesley Yates III. USC pushed on from there, as Slajchert made a big four-point play that tied up the game with 29 seconds left on the clock. Despite the efforts from the Trojans, it fell just short as USC lost 77-75 to the Wildcats.

NOTABLES

USC had their ninth starting lineup of the year as Saint Thomas, Clark Slajchert, Wesley Yates III, Chibuzo Agbo and Rashaun Agee started the game for the Trojans.
Getting his first start of the season, Slajchert shot at an impressive 81.8 percent from the field and led USC in scoring with a season-high 24 points.
Playing in his 85th career game in front of a hometown crowd, Agee had seven points, four rebounds, two assists and one block.
Thomas led USC in rebounds (8) and assists (8) against the Wildcats. Tonight marked the 13th game this season Thomas led USC in boards and the 10th game this season where he led the Trojans in assists.
Three Trojans scored in the double digits on Tuesday evening - Clark Slajchert (24), Wesley Yates III (15) and Chibuzo Agbo (14).
Sophomore Kevin Patton Jr. contributed a season-best three blocks against Northwestern. He also had four points, two rebounds and one steal.
A late three-point shot from Clark Slajchert put the Trojans one point away from tying the game. Slajchert drew a foul and made the free throw to tie the game 75-75 with 29 seconds remaining in the game.
USC out-shot Northwestern from the field and beyond the arc. From the field, USC shot at 51 percent while Northwestern shot at 40.9 percent. When it came to three-point field goals, the Trojans shot 50 percent while the Wildcats shot just 32 percent.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on Clark Slajchert's performance…
"We recruited him because of his offensive ability. He scored 20 points against us at Arkansas when he was a freshman, and he had a huge game against Kentucky last season. We showed our team his highlights before the game to help build his confidence, not only in himself but also in the team. He was phenomenal offensively."

Coach Eric Musselman on the preparation for this game…
"Once we knew Desmond wasn't playing, we had some guys who really stepped up for us. But we didn't rebound the basketball, so it's a tough one. We only have nine more opportunities this year, and as a competitor, you want to come out and win this game."

UP NEXT
The Trojans will head south to Lafayette, Indiana, to take on No. 7 Purdue. This game between the Trojans and Boilermakers will be on Friday, Feb. 7, beginning at 4 p.m. PT. Those who can't make it to Lafayette can watch it on FS1 or listen through the USC Gameday App.