The Trojans lose a heartbreaker in Bob Cantu's debut as interim head coach.
Click here for the game recap and final stats.
Cantu Believe It
The stage was set. Down two with 10 seconds to go in Bob Cantu's debut as the interim head coach, Jio Fontan let a potential game-winning three fly. It came off the rim softly only for Eric Wise to miss a rushed putback followed by another miss inside by Dewayne Dedmon and then some desperate tips as victory slipped out of the Trojans grasp. "They just didn't go down," said an upbeat Cantu. "I'm really proud of our guys and our effort tonight." Down 10 with under three minutes left, USC could have easily called it a night. Instead, the Trojans closed the game on a 9-1 run. "We just really wanted to win," said J.T. Terrell (pictured from earlier this season). "Everybody was just hungry for a W tonight."
J.T. Three
While Cantu stuck to most of Kevin O'Neill's defensive principles, he encouraged his guards to push the tempo and take open shots earlier in the clock. Junior guard J.T. Terrell thrived in the looser system pouring in a season-high 22 points, including four three-pointers. "I'm glad to see that J.T. stepped up and played how we knew he was capable," said Cantu. As a whole, the offense put together its third highest point total of the season, and did so against a top 25 team.
Before the Buzzer
When a game ends in such a dramatic fashion, it's easy to forget the first 39:50, but the Trojans will regret making only 20/32 free throws and giving up 15 offensive rebounds. "We got to the foul line, which was our goal, and we talked about that, and we weren't able to convert," said Cantu. "And, we got out-rebounded by 11. Those two things, if they can be improved upon, we're able to win." Mistakes aside, the effort was more than encouraging in front of the best crowd of the season. Up next: USC hosts Oregon State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Click here for the game recap and final stats.
Cantu Believe It
The stage was set. Down two with 10 seconds to go in Bob Cantu's debut as the interim head coach, Jio Fontan let a potential game-winning three fly. It came off the rim softly only for Eric Wise to miss a rushed putback followed by another miss inside by Dewayne Dedmon and then some desperate tips as victory slipped out of the Trojans grasp. "They just didn't go down," said an upbeat Cantu. "I'm really proud of our guys and our effort tonight." Down 10 with under three minutes left, USC could have easily called it a night. Instead, the Trojans closed the game on a 9-1 run. "We just really wanted to win," said J.T. Terrell (pictured from earlier this season). "Everybody was just hungry for a W tonight."J.T. Three
While Cantu stuck to most of Kevin O'Neill's defensive principles, he encouraged his guards to push the tempo and take open shots earlier in the clock. Junior guard J.T. Terrell thrived in the looser system pouring in a season-high 22 points, including four three-pointers. "I'm glad to see that J.T. stepped up and played how we knew he was capable," said Cantu. As a whole, the offense put together its third highest point total of the season, and did so against a top 25 team.
Before the Buzzer
When a game ends in such a dramatic fashion, it's easy to forget the first 39:50, but the Trojans will regret making only 20/32 free throws and giving up 15 offensive rebounds. "We got to the foul line, which was our goal, and we talked about that, and we weren't able to convert," said Cantu. "And, we got out-rebounded by 11. Those two things, if they can be improved upon, we're able to win." Mistakes aside, the effort was more than encouraging in front of the best crowd of the season. Up next: USC hosts Oregon State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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