USC men's basketball goes three OTs to win battle of the Trojans

The USC Trojans outlasted the Troy Trojans in a triple-overtime thriller at the Galen Center. The Trojans relied on heroic efforts from Chad Baker-Mazara, who had a career-high 34 points, and Rodney Rice, who contributed 26 points and 9 assists. Jordan Marsh scored the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to elevate the USC Trojans to a 107-106 win and improve their record to 4-0 before traveling to Hawaii for the Southwest Maui Invitational.

Offensive Takeaways

The Trojans topped 100 points for the second time this season, though it took three overtimes to get there. Baker-Mazara kept USC afloat with a career-high 34 points while logging 53 minutes and going 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. Rodney Rice remained a key contributor with 26 points, and Ezra Ausar was the only other Trojan to reach double figures, finishing with 22 points in just 28 minutes.

USC was able to push their lead to as high as 11 points halfway through the second half but Troy was able to fight back each time and go on a run of their own to bring the game back level. USC shot just under 43% from the field with a staggering 62.5% in the second overtime period. However, other than the career high from Baker-Mazara and his two conterparts scoring double figures, the Trojans did not perform well enough on offense to erase early season doubt about this team and their ability to make the NCAA Tournament.

Defensive Takeaways

The biggest defensive concern from this game was USC’s rebounding. Troy outrebounded the Trojans 63–39, exposing an issue that had already shown small warning signs in the first three games of the season. After this matchup, those warnings have become full-blown alarms. USC will need to find a solution before conference play begins and if they want to make the most of their trip to Hawaii, addressing it sooner rather than later would be wise.

Of course, rebounding issues don’t automatically mean the defense is playing poorly. However, the discrepancy put USC in a difficult position, as Troy outscored the Trojans 26–8 in second-chance points. If USC had simply limited Troy’s advantage on the boards, a last-second heave at the buzzer likely wouldn’t have been necessary to secure the win.

Key Takeaways

The Trojans improve to 4–0, and a win like this can help galvanize both the team and its fan base. With so many new faces on the roster, it’s clear USC is still working through some early-season wrinkles as it aims to be operating at peak efficiency by the time conference play arrives.

What's Next

The Trojans will travel to Maui, Hawaii, this weekend for the Maui Invitational. Their first game of the tournament is against Boise State on Monday, Nov. 24, airing on ESPN2. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET).