USC Hoops: Trojans Show No Rust In First Game Back

After a three week hiatus, the Trojans defense shut down Santa Clara's offense.

The Trojans made the Santa Clara Broncos (6-2) look like a team that hasn’t played basketball in nearly three weeks, defeating them 86-63.

The last time USC (5-1) was playing competitive basketball was when they put on a defensive clinic against UC Irvine on Dec. 8th. Well, their defense picked up right where they left off. The Trojans did a great job of running the Broncos off the three-point line and building a wall on the interior.

In the first half, the Broncos didn’t even hit a shot from the outside, as they went 0-6 from behind the arc. But neither did the Trojans. Only difference is - they didn’t need to. They only attempted one shot from outside in the first half, which came with 8:27 left. The Trojans repeatedly took advantage of the porous Broncos interior defense. Their frontcourt of Goodwin and the Mobley brothers feasted for 25 of their 41 first half points.

The second half saw the Trojans offense finally come alive from the outside. Knowing they had established an interior presence in the first half, they started letting the threes fly, hitting 7-of-14 shots from distance.

The Mobley brothers continued their onslaught as Evan Mobley finished with 17 points, 7 rebs and 3 blocks, while Isaiah Mobley finished with 13 points, 7 rebs, and 2 blocks. After the game, coach Andy Enfield had glowing remarks for Isaiah’s performance.

“I thought he played terrific basketball tonight. He was active on offense, he made quick decisions, he finished some of his shots, he made a three - he’s been shooting the ball very well in practice - and defensively he was very active. I thought Isaiah played a terrific all around game.”

Late in the second half, there were a couple of new Trojans to grace the floor in transfer Joshua Morgan and their top 2021 recruit Reese Dixon-Waters. For Waters, this week was the first time he was able to practice with contact, but it didn’t show tonight. 

The 6-foot-5 guard was able to show off his shot-creating skills in the few minutes he was on the floor, hitting a contested shot from the outside and making a tough shot in the lane.

“I was impressed with him,” coach Enfield said. “We threw him in at the end of the game and he performed. He made a couple of shots, played good defense, and he just needs to learn our system and have confidence in whatever role he has for the remaining part of the season. Just keep getting better every week.”

Hopefully, the Trojans are well rested after three weeks off because they play again in 48 hours against the Colorado Buffaloes (6-3). Tip-off is at 7 p.m. PT on Thursday.

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