Men’s basketball tops Nevada


Senior forward Nick Rakocevic led the Trojans in points for the second game in a row, finishing with 24 on the night against Nevada. (Sarah Ko / Daily Trojan)

USC passed its first road test of the season Saturday night with a 77-66 win over Nevada. With the victory, the Trojans improve to 4-0 while the Wolf Pack fall to 2-2 on the season. 

USC’s size and interior presence proved too much for Nevada. The Trojans outscored the Wolf Pack by 32 points in the paint. 

“I think we came out here and used our size advantage and played super aggressive,” senior forward Nick Rakocevic said after the game. “We played good defense and didn’t turn the ball over.”

USC head coach Andy Enfield shared Rakocevic’s assessment. 

“We thought our interior players were a little more experienced and a little better players overall,” Enfield said. “We thought we really needed to dominate the paint, and we did. Give our three bigs credit. They all played very good basketball.”

The Trojans started the night strong from their first possession. Just over 20 seconds into the game, sophomore point guard Elijah Weaver drove hard to the basket before collecting his dribble and dishing it to a trailing Rakocevic, who caught Weaver’s pass in the lane for an easy dunk. 

The play set the tone for the evening, and USC jumped ahead to an 8-point lead less than five minutes into the game. The Wolf Pack battled back, however, and took the lead six minutes later. A layup by Wolf Pack senior guard Lindsey Drew extended Nevada’s lead to three with 8:33 left in the first half. 

The Trojans followed up Drew’s layup with a 13-0 run during which all but three of their points came in the paint. The run put USC up 31-21 with 4:13 left before the end of the half, and the team never relinquished its lead. 

USC’s defense also shined during the contest. In the second half, the Trojans held Nevada to 23% shooting on 16 attempts from behind the arc. 

“That’s really good defense on our part,” Enfield said. “I’m really proud of our young men.”

Rakocevic paced the team in points with 24 on the night. Rakocevic also led the team with two steals, and his 11 rebounds were matched only by freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu. 

Redshirt senior guard Daniel Utomi pitched in with 12 points and four boards. Weaver scored 11 points while shooting 50% from the field. 

In addition to being USC’s first road opponent of the season, Nevada was also the Trojans’ toughest challenger yet. Last season, the Wolf Pack went undefeated at home before reaching the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed. The roar of the 9,833 fans in attendance at Lawlor Events Center only added to the challenge the Trojans faced.

“I was telling [the freshmen] ‘Make sure you guys stay composed,’” Rakocevic said. “We just have to stay focused because it’s [the freshmen’s] first road game. I remember when I was a freshman. Overall, I think they played great.”

Okongwu, who scored 6 points in 27 minutes, said he relished the team’s first opportunity to play on the road.  

“It was our first road game, and we wanted to come out with a lot of energy, aggressive and be tough,” said Okongwu. “I love playing on the road because I love the atmosphere and the hostility.”

USC returns home to Galen Center to take on Pepperdine 6 p.m. Tuesday.