Trojans make it two in a row with win

The Trojans started their game against Santa Clara on a 5-4 run. However, the scoreboard said that USC (2-0) trailed 6-5.

No, the scoreboard at the Galen Center was not broken. Rather, USC senior guard Donte Smith violated an obscure NCAA rule that forbids dunking in pregame warm-ups, giving Santa Clara guard Kevin Foster the chance to convert two free throws to give the Broncos (1-1) a 2-0 lead before the game even started.

“A technical foul before the game is unacceptable and cannot happen,” USC coach Kevin O’Neill said. “But I thought our team reacted well to starting behind. I did not even know [Smith] could dunk to be honest.”

The Trojans were able to recover from their pregame deficit, shooting 57.4 percent from the field in the 86-73 win. USC scored 80 or more points in regulation only once last season.

“I am very pleased with the way that we controlled the tempo,” O’Neill said. “When we wanted to run, we ran, and when we could not run, we made the adjustment to do pick-and-rolls with [Maurice Jones].”

Freshman guard Maurice Jones and senior guard Marcus Simmons set the tone early for the Trojans, combining to score 15 of USC’s first 17 points before Simmons was substituted out after recording his second foul. Jones continued his aggressive play on offense, scoring a game-high 29 points in only his second collegiate game to go along with five assists.

“I want Maurice to stay aggressive. To put up those numbers is big time,” O’Neill said. “It is not a fluke that he makes these plays. He is impossible to guard one-on-one.”

Jones sparked a key stretch for the Trojans in the second half. With USC trailing 52-51, Jones scored six points during a 10-0 run that was punctuated by junior forward Nikola Vucevic stealing the ball and running the length of the court for a dunk.

“I was trying to make more plays, not even just me scoring but trying to get someone else an open layup or [jump] shot,” Jones said.

Vucevic had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans. Freshman guard Bryce Jones added 15 points.

Despite breaking a bone in his left hand on Saturday against UC Irvine, senior forward Alex Stepheson played the entire 40 minutes, making all three of his shots and grabbing seven rebounds.

“I could not do things with my left hand that I could normally do,” Stepheson said. “I tried to be aggressive, getting as many rebounds as I could, and if I could not get it, tip it to a teammate.”

Simmons and Smith each had four fouls with 15:33 remaining in the game, giving freshman forward Garrett Jackson an opportunity to see some action. Jackson played 14 minutes, scoring a basket and grabbing four rebounds.

Foster, Santa Clara’s dynamic scorer, led the Broncos with 26 points and four rebounds. Santa Clara forward Marc Trasolini added 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Trojans enter their third game of the season undefeated for only the second time in the past 10 seasons. Last year USC fell to Loyola Marymount 67-59 in their second game before starting the season 2-4.

USC’s next game is against Rider on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Galen Center as part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.