Galen Center evacuates after USC victory over Arizona State


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USC junior guard Ethan Anderson calls a play during the Trojans’ victory over Arizona State Monday night. Anderson had 4 rebounds and a block in 18 minutes of play. (Rohan Minocha | Daily Trojan)

It had been a tough start for No. 15 USC in its first home game with fans in attendance since December. 

Midway through the first half, the Trojans had the same number of points as turnovers — 8 — while shooting just over 30% from the field. It seemed like a lid was left on the rim with USC missing 8 consecutive shots and going scoreless across six minutes. 

With every missed shot, nervous sighs echoed through the arena. The Galen Center fans sat quiet, like an elementary student thrown into timeout while his friends played on the field. 

Then, it happened. 

A 3-pointer by freshman guard Reese Dixon-Waters, a catch and shoot three from junior forward Isaiah Mobley, another three from Dixon-Waters and a pull-up shot by Mobley from beyond the arc detonated a hushed crowd. 

Down 12 points with 6:19 left in the first half, USC went on a 21-2 run to close the period, snatching any Arizona State momentum. 

By the end of the night, Galen Center was rocking again as the Trojans cruised to a dominant 78-56 victory against the Sun Devils Monday. All 12 scholarship players saw action. 

Mere minutes after the final buzzer sounded, remaining fans, media members and players were forced to evacuate Galen Center due to a bomb threat. The Department of Public Safety and the Los Angeles Police Department found no credible threats, DPS interim Chief David Carlisle confirmed to the Daily Trojan. 

USC has now won its last four meetings against Arizona State. The Trojans are also 15-0 on the season while holding their opponents to under 40% shooting. Arizona State shot 34% from the field.

After 23 points against Utah last Saturday, senior guard Drew Peterson again led USC with 16 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting. Mobley, junior forward Max Agbonkpolo and redshirt senior forward Chevez Goodwin added 12 points each.

The Sun Devils hung around early in the second half behind a trifecta of 3-pointers from sophomore guard DJ Horne. Arizona State’s leading scorer on the season had 9 of its first 11 points and finished with 14 points in the game. 

Horne’s hot shooting cut USC’s lead down to 6 with 15:25 left in the game. The Trojans responded with a 10-2 run across five minutes to extend their lead to 14 and never looked back. 

The Sun Devils began the game in a solid rhythm on offense, hitting 3 of their first 4 shots to take the lead early. USC struggled to put the ball in the basket as Arizona State emerged in a comfortable position. 

Even with the offensive problems, the Trojans’ defensive activity kept the deficit manageable before going on a game swinging run as the half closed. Prior to Monday, USC held opponents to 37% shooting from the field — sixth-best in the nation.

It showed as the game progressed with Arizona State scoring just 7 points in the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Sun Devils went scoreless for nearly five minutes too while the Trojans exploded on a run.  

USC will look to avenge their early season loss against Stanford on Thursday at Galen Center.