Trojans hopeful for home victory against UC Berkeley


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USC come back home from their double header in Oregon to face off against Cal at Galen Center as they look to get back to winning ways. (Vincent Leo | Daily Trojan)

The Trojans are coming off a two-game losing streak against Oregon and Oregon State as they prepare for tonight’s game against UC Berkeley. On Saturday, USC lost a close game against Oregon State after leading by one point with less than two minutes left. Freshman forward Vincent Iwuchukwu had a good game but too many missed 3-pointers from the Trojans eventually built up to a late loss.

“We have to make a higher percentage of our 3-point shots,” said Head Coach Andy Enfield in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We only made one the other night. That’s the lowest we’ve made in quite a few years here at USC. You can’t expect to score a lot of points in a college basketball game by making only one three. We have to do a better job of taking open shots, creating for each other on the offensive end, and then someone has to step up and make a few.”

Fifth year guard Drew Peterson said the team has been busy practicing their shooting.

“We’re in the gym and we’re all getting shots up,” Peterson said. “A lot of guys came in earlier the last few days, and we’re gonna keep doing that.”

Aside from the team making 1 of 14 3-pointers at Oregon State, Enfield attributed part of the loss to issues with the defense.

Senior guard Boogie Ellis also stressed the importance of focusing on defense in practice.

“[We’re] definitely working on defense via more physical rebounding, communicating, being in gaps and stuff like that,” Ellis said.

Enfield and the players are looking ahead to Thursday night’s game against Berkeley. Despite the Golden Bears’ 9-game losing streak and their last-place ranking in the Pac-12, Enfield is approaching the game with the same mindset as always.

“Cal played a tough overtime game against Arizona State on Saturday, so they are playing pretty good basketball, and we don’t take any game lightly,” Enfield said. “Pac-12 league games are always competitive. We’ve lost two games in a row so it doesn’t matter who the next game is against. This is about our team and how we respond to our loss on Saturday.”

Peterson is ready to play a tough game.

“We got our backs against the wall a little bit, and we got to start a winning streak to make March Madness and potentially compete for that conference championship. [There’s] definitely a sense of urgency for us,” Peterson said.

The Trojans are also dealing with injuries before the Berkeley game. Sophomore guard Reese Dixon-Waters may remain out with a lower-body injury, and redshirt junior forward Joshua Morgan will likely still be out with an ankle injury.

“We have two of our key players injured, and it’ll probably be a game time decision whether one or both play,” Enfield said. “Whoever is healthy and eligible to play will have to go out and give it their best effort. We have to win this game.” 

So far, things seem to be looking good for the Trojans, who have a 12-game winning streak at home. The players are happy to be at Galen Center again.

“I love being home. I love when they come out in support, and getting good crowds at Galen always gives us a little bit of an advantage. So it’s great whenever they can fill a stadium up,” Peterson said.

Ellis is also excited for the game.

“It’s always cool to be home,” Ellis said. “You know, mom’s right there watching the game, sisters and everything. So it’s fun to play in front of them … We’re coming off two losses, so I’m real eager to get another win.”

The Trojans look to break their losing streak with a win against Berkeley at Galen Center Thursday night at 7 p.m.