Trojans fall to Penn State in close battle

The USC men’s basketball team fell 63-61 to Penn State on Sunday afternoon, capping a less-than-impressive showing at the Charleston Classic. The Trojans (2-3) entered the tournament with high hopes but were only able to win one game out of three.

 

In the first round, an experienced Akron team outmatched USC, winning by a 66-46 score. The Zips are the only Mid-American Conference team to win 20 games in each season for the past nine seasons. Despite holding Akron to 40 percent shooting, the Trojans struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 16 times.

After trailing by as much 17 points, the Trojans went on a quick 10-0 run midway through the second half to cut the lead to single digits before Antino Jackson hit two 3-pointers to put Akron up for good. The Trojans would ultimately fall by 20, while having their worst shooting performance in two seasons at 28 percent.

The Trojans seemed to come together in their second game of the tournament as they rallied from a double-digit first half deficit to defeat the Drexel Dragons 72-70. Led by towering redshirt sophomore forward Darion Clark’s five points and seven rebounds, as well as smothering team defense, the Trojans outscored the Dragons 44-30 in the second half.

“We knew what we were capable of,” Clark said. “We just had to be energetic and keep our composure.”

After a horrible shooting performance the previous day, the Trojan’s offense bounced back. Freshman guard Jordan McLaughlin contributed 11 points, including two three-pointers, eight assists and four steals after having the roughest game of his young career against Akron. Sophomore guard Julian Jacobs contributed 12 points, all in the second half, to go along with three steals. Head coach Andy Enfield was proud of his young team’s turnaround.

“We just have to perform offensively. Players have to make plays. They’ve got to take care of the ball,” Enfield said. “Today was different.”

With such a young team, growing pains were to be expected. After almost blowing a three-point lead with 30 seconds to go against Drexel, the Trojans squandered away a second-half lead to the Penn State Nittany Lions in their final game of the tournament, ultimately losing 63-61.

The Trojans struggled to take care of the ball, a common theme in this short season, and turned the ball over 13 times, including a key turnover by struggling sophomore forward Nikola Jovanovic in the final minutes that sparked a 6-0 run by the Lions that permanently gave them the lead.

Despite shooting a mere 27 percent from the field, the Trojans were able to stay competitive in the game through their defense. McLaughlin led the team with three steals as the Trojans forced Penn State to turn the ball over 15 times.

A lack of senior leadership and experienced players really showed itself, however, as the Trojans struggled to shoot the ball once again. Enfield knows the team can’t afford to miss open shots against quality teams.

“You shoot 28 percent on lane shots, it’s not too good,” Enfield said. “Our guards had open shots. We just missed them.”

The Trojans can hold their head high after turning things around following their 20-point loss to Akron. With each coming game, this young team continues to make strides. Hopefully, by the time the Pac-12 season comes around this team will be playing at the level that Enfield expects out of them.

USC fields the youngest team in the Pac-12 and the inexperienced team should continue to grow throughout the season. There have been flashes of greatness that Enfield envisioned when putting this team together, but the Trojans have failed to put forth a complete 40-minute effort.

The Trojans will have a chance to build off their tournament experience on Tuesday night when they face Cal State Fullerton at the Galen Center. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. PST.

The team then has five days rest before a Nov. 30 road battle against New Mexico.