Another second half surge comes up short as the Trojans get swept away by the Bay...
Click here for the full recap and stats.
Click here for the full recap and stats.
True freshmen guards Alexis Moore and Byron Wesley are growing up as the game slows down. The new kids on the block carried USC through large portions of the New Year's Eve contest. Moore posted a team-high 12 points on 5/9 shooting with 4 assists to just one turnover, while Wesley filled up the stat sheet with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. "Byron and Alexis are both very, very good freshmen. You couldn't ask for more out of guys that are forced to play too many minutes," said head coach Kevin O'Neill, who uses the freshmen in place of injured star Jio Fontan.
- Maurice Jones could not buy a bucket today. The Trojans' leading scorer finished with a season low 5 points on 1/12 shooting. He finished 0/4 from three-point range and just 3/8 from the free throw line. "I can't explain it," O'Neill said. "He didn't play well. He'll come back and have a great game next week."
- Dewayne Dedmon (photo by AP) is starting to make his minutes count, but he needs to avoid foul trouble to take the next step in his progression from an unrefined talent to a polished pivot. The big man enjoyed a solid road trip averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds in the two games, but he picked up 4 fouls in both contests, which limited him to 44 total minutes. "Dewayne got better on this trip, but one of the things that's killing us is that Dewayne and Aaron [Fuller] are in foul trouble every single game in the first 8 minutes," O'Neill said.
- Kevin O'Neill acknowledged that this program is in a stage of building a bridge towards future success. "It's a shame to play as hard as we've played all year and not be rewarded with some wins. They know eventually that they're going to be a championship caliber team. It's painful to go through this right now, but that's life."
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