The Trojans pull off the program's biggest win in two seasons by shocking the Bruins in new Pauley Pavilion.
Click here for the final stats and game recap.
A Program Win
If there is anything the Trojans have learned through the hard times in the last two years, it is resolve. They showed every bit of it tonight to squeak out a win on the road against their bitter rivals. "I am really, really happy for our players," said interim head coach Bob Cantu. "Our guys, they hung in there and they made plays when it counted." Cantu's word of the night was "poise," and the Trojans showed it by rallying in overtime after blowing a 13-point second half lead. "We needed a momentum win," said senior Eric Wise. "We've come close several times, but came up short, so it feels good to win one down the stretch."
Wise Move
Eric Wise recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but his biggest play of the night was pulling the ball out to burn clock after an offensive rebound in the final seconds. "I thought about shooting it," Wise admitted. "I realized that we only had about 13 seconds left, so I passed it out and Ace made the free throws. He came up clutch." USC played through Wise in a point-forward role most of the night. He dished out five assists to take some pressure off PG Jio Fontan. "That was our game plan to run everything through 'Easy,'" said Cantu about Wise. "He plays with poise and he makes good decisions."
Something Afoul
If the road atmosphere and tough opponent was not enough, USC had to play through foul trouble all night. The Bruins comeback started when Fontan was sent to the bench with his fourth foul. Despite the risk, Cantu subbed his leader back in with more than six minutes to go in the game. "We gambled," said Cantu. "We needed his presence and leadership out there." Dedmon missed most of the first half with foul trouble, while Wise played with four throughout the entire overtime period. However, the Trojans did not get frustrated, and took their cues from Fontan. "He didn't get rattled," said Cantu about Fontan. "He didn't allow himself to get rattled as a point guard and a leader."
And 1...
A Pair of Aces
Up one with 11 seconds to go in OT, Ari Stewart was sent to the line to shoot one-and-one. The free throw attempts were his first two of the season, and he sunk them both like he was Reggie Miller, who just so happened to be sitting courtside. "That was huge," said Cantu. "He stepped up in an environment like that and knocked them down. I'm really happy for him."
(Final scoreboard photo by Lizzy Friedman)
Click here for the final stats and game recap.
A Program Win
If there is anything the Trojans have learned through the hard times in the last two years, it is resolve. They showed every bit of it tonight to squeak out a win on the road against their bitter rivals. "I am really, really happy for our players," said interim head coach Bob Cantu. "Our guys, they hung in there and they made plays when it counted." Cantu's word of the night was "poise," and the Trojans showed it by rallying in overtime after blowing a 13-point second half lead. "We needed a momentum win," said senior Eric Wise. "We've come close several times, but came up short, so it feels good to win one down the stretch."Wise Move
Eric Wise recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but his biggest play of the night was pulling the ball out to burn clock after an offensive rebound in the final seconds. "I thought about shooting it," Wise admitted. "I realized that we only had about 13 seconds left, so I passed it out and Ace made the free throws. He came up clutch." USC played through Wise in a point-forward role most of the night. He dished out five assists to take some pressure off PG Jio Fontan. "That was our game plan to run everything through 'Easy,'" said Cantu about Wise. "He plays with poise and he makes good decisions."
Something Afoul
If the road atmosphere and tough opponent was not enough, USC had to play through foul trouble all night. The Bruins comeback started when Fontan was sent to the bench with his fourth foul. Despite the risk, Cantu subbed his leader back in with more than six minutes to go in the game. "We gambled," said Cantu. "We needed his presence and leadership out there." Dedmon missed most of the first half with foul trouble, while Wise played with four throughout the entire overtime period. However, the Trojans did not get frustrated, and took their cues from Fontan. "He didn't get rattled," said Cantu about Fontan. "He didn't allow himself to get rattled as a point guard and a leader."
And 1...
A Pair of Aces
Up one with 11 seconds to go in OT, Ari Stewart was sent to the line to shoot one-and-one. The free throw attempts were his first two of the season, and he sunk them both like he was Reggie Miller, who just so happened to be sitting courtside. "That was huge," said Cantu. "He stepped up in an environment like that and knocked them down. I'm really happy for him."
(Final scoreboard photo by Lizzy Friedman)
The Trojan Family needed this victory. We are so proud of our Trojan Basketball team. Keep it up. Fight On!