Men’s basketball defeats Utah in quarterfinal of Pac-12 tournament

After picking up his second foul with over 13 minutes left in the first half of Thursday night’s Pac-12 quarterfinal matchup, USC’s star freshman forward Evan Mobley walked back to the bench in frustration. Facing a Utah team that held Mobley to just two field goals in their previous two meetings combined, it seemed as though the Utes might have gotten Mobley’s number defensively. 

Mobley’s long stretch riding the pine proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Trojans. The well-rested 7-foot big man put up a dominant second half effort in USC’s 91-85 double-overtime victory against Utah.

After registering only two points and no rebounds in the first half, Mobley came out of the locker room actively looking to take over on both ends of the floor. He finished with a career-high 26 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, in addition to shooting a solid 11-14 from the free-throw line, where USC has struggled all season. 

“Evan played an all-around game. He was just spectacular on offense, he was under control,” head coach Andy Enfield said after the win. “I think you saw the whole offensive repertoire; I just thought he played an unbelievable game in the second half and the two overtimes.”

Mobley looked like a player who was very much worthy of the honors he earned this past week — Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year —  becoming the first-ever conference player to win all three awards. 

In the second half, Mobley was everywhere. He challenged shots at the rim and forced the Utes to kick the ball back out to the perimeter. Offensively, he was knocking down outside jumpers, getting to the rim for easy jump hooks and drawing fouls down low. It was clear who USC’s go-to guy was, especially down the stretch as Mobley put up 13 of his 26 points in the game’s two overtime periods. 

Contrary to USC’s slow, mechanical offense, the Utes up-tempo offensive system relied on numerous difficult shots to keep themselves in the game. Junior forward Timmy Allen did his best to steady the ship for Utah, putting up 20 points and 13 rebounds in a team-high 48 minutes. 

Senior guard Alfonso Plummer came out of the gates hot for Utah, connecting on two tough, heavily contested jumpers to start the game. He finished with 16 points, including a game-tying three over Mobley’s outstretched arms to push the game to double overtime. 

Freshman guard Ian Martinez, who averaged 4.6 points per game this season, was a thorn in the Trojans’ side all night long, scoring 18 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting night. His mid-range jump shot seemed to be going in all night, and Martinez continued to use the threat of his jumper to get to the rim at will with his quickness. 

“We played really hard tonight. Plummer was 6-15, and Allen was 6-17, so that’s 12-32,” Enfield said. “Timmy Allen is a two-time All-League player — you’re not going to shut him out, and Plummer, with the exception of that last [3-point shot], we held him in check [for] most of the night.” 

Utah’s three-headed monster comprised of Allen, Plummer and Martinez ran out of gas to close out the game. Allen and Martinez, along with two other Utes, fouled out in the second overtime when the Utes needed a scoring boost to keep the game alive. 

Despite losing Mobley to foul trouble early in the game, a plethora of Trojans stepped up to fill in for his occasional absence. Six Trojans finished in double-digit scoring figures, with an all-around team effort on the defensive end to clinch the win, holding the Utes to 30% shooting from beyond the arc.

Senior guard Isaiah White added 14 points along with five rebounds. Junior guard Drew Peterson and senior guard Tahj Eaddy each contributed 13 points.

“It was a long game, a hard game. That’s what March Madness — the postseason — is,” Mobley said. “There [are] going to be a lot of big shots, a lot of overtimes, hard games. So, you’ve just got to push through, stay tough and stay focused.” 

USC moves onto the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament, where they will face the winner of the California-Colorado matchup at the T-Mobile Arena. Tip-off is Friday at 8:30 p.m.