USC Men's Basketball Suffered Loss To No. 7 Purdue

Friday, February 7

West Lafayette, Ind.

4:00 p.m.

USC

13-10,5-7Big Ten

Purdue

19-5,11-2Big Ten

Southern California

Purdue

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

USC Men's Basketball Suffered Loss To No. 7 Purdue

February 08, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Trojans lost this game at Mackey Arena 90-72 to the Boilermakers.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – USC Men's Basketball (13-10, 5-7 Big Ten) wrapped up their time in Indiana against No. 7 Purdue. With a tough game full of fouls, the Trojans could not dig themselves out of their deficit as they fell to the Boilermakers 90-72.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans were the first on the board thanks to some free throws from Clark Slajchert. This tough Purdue team battled back quickly, jumping ahead by two just three minutes in. The Boilermakers expanded on that lead as they shot at 100 percent on their first eight shots. With Wesley Yates III taking on most of the This is when the Trojans fell into a scoring deficit, not adding any points to the scoreboard for three minutes. But a basket from Josh Cohen and five points from Yates helped USC attempt to close the gap between them and Purdue before the end of the first half. Once the first 20 minutes were done, the score sat at 48-36 in favor of the Boilermakers.

It was a rough start to the second half for the Trojans as they only put up five points in the first three minutes. It wasn't until Slajchert and Isaiah Elohim contributed four straight points to try and help the Trojans catch up to the Boilermakers. Down by 14 with 12 minutes left, these two teams battled one another where neither could make a basket for over two and a half minutes. This stretch was broken by the Boilermakers, who continued to get farther away from USC. Even with a late six-point run from the Trojans, it wasn't enough to make a dent in Purdue's lead as USC lost this road game 90-72.

NOTABLES

USC's starting lineup of Saint Thomas, Clark Slajchert, Wesley Yates III, Chibuzo Agbo and Rashaun Agee remained the same for the second consecutive game as Trojan Desmond Claude was unavailable.
Yates III had 22 first-half points for the Trojans, the most in a half by any Trojan this season.
Yates III finished the game with a career-high 30 points. With those 30 points, Yates III became just the seventh freshman in program history to turn in 30 or more points in a game. The last time a freshman had 30 or more points in a game was Isaiah Collier against Washington on March 3, 2024 (31 points). Yates III is also just the second Trojan this season to join the 30-point club.
Making his second start of the season, Slajchert contributed seven points and four rebounds.
Freshman Isaiah Elohim turned in a season-best performance against Purdue, posting 11 points while shooting 100 percent from the field (4-4).
Freshman Jalen Shelley turned in a season-best 10 points and led USC in rebounding with six. He also had four blocks.
USC's first-year players Yates III (30), Elohim (11) and Shelley (10) combined for 51 total points against Purdue.
USC's bench outscored Purdue's 29-26 as 12 total Trojans saw action against the Boilermakers.

UP NEXT
The Trojans return to Galen Center for a two-game home-stand beginning with Penn State. This game will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m., and fans can watch on the Big Ten Network. Those who can't make it to Galen Center can also follow along by listening to the USC Game Day app.