With 1:52 left in the second half of USC’s blowout win over Oregon State, graduate forward DJ Rodman received roaring applause from the crowd as he checked out following his first double-double as a Trojan. 

Rodman celebrated with his teammates as he took in the scene, eventually sharing a chest bump with freshman guard Bronny James. The two sons of NBA greats have struggled at times in their first year at USC but had two of their best performances of the season to lead the Trojans to their first win since Jan. 6. 

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James made his first home start of the season as Head Coach Andy Enfield threw out a new three-guard starting lineup featuring James alongside fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis and sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers. The decision paid off as the extra playmaking on the court provided a much-needed injection of ball movement to the Trojan offense. As a team, USC (9-13, 3-8 Pac-12) had 22 assists, six via James, and only eight turnovers on the way to a 82-54 win.

Until both teams emptied their benches with 1:59 remaining, there was not a second without Ellis or James on the court. It appears Enfield has realized that with star freshman guard Isaiah Collier out with a hand injury, one of his two other primary point guards are needed on the floor at all times to run a functioning offense. While they continue to be strong contributors to the team in secondary roles, it seems unlikely that Sellers or junior guard Kobe Johnson will get many more looks running the offense as the season continues.

James, who now has 13 assists in his last two games, has shown impressive development as a point guard; in the last few weeks, he’s continued to take a larger role in Enfield’s offense. James’ energy and ability on both ends has been clear since his debut in December, but the game is beginning to slow down for him as he gains more experience.

“[James] is one of the most talented players I’ve played with … so I think it was just one of [those] things where he needed to grow into college basketball,” Rodman said. “College basketball isn’t something to joke around about; it’s hard to score. It’s hard to make things happen. But with his growth, I feel like he’s going to be fine.”

The most notable improvement for Enfield’s squad came on the boards, where it outrebounded Oregon State (11-11, 3-8) 44-24 and had 25 second-chance points off of 20 offensive rebounds. Poor rebounding was a recurring feature of the Trojans’ six-game losing streak, and Enfield said he made sure his big men got the message that something needed to change.

“Yeah, we [talked to them]: behind closed doors, out on the street and everywhere else,” Enfield said. “It’s nice if your guards rebound too, but you can’t be a good rebounding team if your bigs don’t start it off.”

An extra boost in the second half came from junior forward Harrison Hornery, who scored all 14 of his points after the break, leading the team in scoring after playing just one minute in the past two games. His scoring jolt was a further testament to the effectiveness of the three-guard lineup as few of his shots were even contested. The playmaking on the court repeatedly delivered him open looks, and he did not let the opportunity go to waste. 

“Obviously, [not playing] was tough to take, especially as a junior, I’ve been here for three years,” Hornery said. “But I just tried to be a positive energy on the bench and know that I’m not not going to play for the rest of the season. So, don’t be an energy vampire and keep the attitude up, because I’m a leader on this team and need to lead by example.”

There remains an element of shell shock to a USC team that was a consensus pick to finish second in the Pac-12 and continues to sit last in the conference. A game against the Beavers would have been written off as an afterthought in November, but Saturday, fans breathed a sigh of relief as the win allowed them to cling onto any semblance of hope for what is still on track to be a lost season. 

“I don’t like being that guy, but we should be winning these games that we’re losing,” Rodman said. “We just have that quality of team that can win games … so I just do what I do, play hard and hopefully something happens.”

While the Trojans have had a tumultuous, injury-riddled season, they have nine conference games left to prove they are a team to be taken seriously in the postseason. An upcoming road trip, along with the hopeful return to health of a few key players, will be crucial in determining the shape of their season.

“We hope this is a nice way to start the week on the road,” Enfield said. “We have two tough road games coming up, and hopefully [Collier] can get back and we can put our team together like we have wanted to for most of the season.”

The Trojans are back in action against UC Berkeley on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.