USC men’s basketball falls to .500 after loss at Oregon

Coming off of a December 19 win at Alabama State, USC men’s basketball started off Pac-12 play with a matchup at Oregon on Thursday night. It was the third game in the Trojans’ four-game road trip; USC has hosted only one home game in the month of December. The Trojans (6-6) struggled generating offense and ultimately fell 82-74 to the Ducks (9-3), who remain undefeated in seven games at home this season.

Oregon got out to an early 12-2 lead behind back-to-back 3-pointers from freshman guard Jackson Shelstad. Threes from USC freshman guard Bronny James and graduate forward DJ Rodman brought life to the offense, but scoring droughts kept the Trojans from keeping up with Oregon. USC shot only 32% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

USC struggled with turnovers in the first half as well, and the Ducks’ lead ballooned to 28-15 with 4:46 left before halftime. Back-to-back turnovers by junior guard Kobe Johnson (USC’s ninth and tenth turnovers of the period) allowed Oregon to stretch its lead to 18 with three minutes to go.

With 1:30 to go, Oregon freshman forward Kwame Evans Jr. hit two free throws to give the Ducks a 20-point lead, their largest of the night. They ended the half up 42-25 on the Trojans, having scored 14 points on 10 USC turnovers while committing only three. Freshman guard Isaiah Collier, usually a strong offensive presence for USC, took only two shots in the first half.

“Our starting guards have to play better,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said after the game. “They were 2-for-14 in the first half with a bunch of turnovers and made some defensive mistakes. They’re in the starting lineup for a reason, and they have to play like Pac-12 veterans.”

A 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis and a layup by sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu revived the Trojan offense to start the second half. The two defenses battled, but a 7-0 USC run made it an eight-point game and forced a Ducks timeout with just over 16 minutes left.

Redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan came alive in the latter half, tipping the ball in on back-to-back possessions. Later, a couple of dunks and a hook shot from Morgan kept the Trojans in the game. A Morgan assist to Rodman made it a seven-point game; Oregon hit back on the next possession, but a Rodman three cut the Ducks’ lead to just six points with 10:36 to play.

Back-to-back buckets by Oregon, aided by a Trojan turnover, brought the lead back to 11 points. USC tried to battle back against the Ducks but struggled to close in through the middle of the period.

The issues in the Trojan backcourt continued, as Collier’s second made field goal came with just over seven minutes left in the game. Ellis, who averages just under 20 points per game, shot only 4-for-15 from the field for 11 points. And although Johnson contributed a team-high nine assists, he shot only 3-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

“We supposedly have some all-league first-team, second-team guys in the preseason,” Enfield said. “They’ve gotta play like it. We love them, we believe in them, and now it’s time to step up because we’re in the Pac-12.”

USC fought hard at the end of the second half; a Johnson jumper and a Collier layup cut Oregon’s lead to six points with just over a minute left in the game. Morgan and Shelstad exchanged free throws, and a deep three from Ellis made it a four-point game with 0:39 left to play. USC fouled in the hopes of getting the ball back but wasn’t able to generate any offense, and Oregon senior guard Kario Oquendo sank all four free throws to ensure a Ducks victory.

Aside from turnovers, USC’s defensive woes kept victory out of reach. The team gave up 43 points to Oregon freshmen (Shelstad and Evans Jr.). Through the first 11 games this season, USC has held its opponents to 41.3% shooting, but it allowed Oregon to shoot 46.2% from the field on Thursday. The Ducks won the battle at the free throw line as well, shooting 26-for-32 (81%) from the line. USC went only 10-for-15 (67%) from the stripe.

The showing wasn’t completely negative for the Trojans. Rodman and Morgan led the team with 14 points apiece; it was a season high for Morgan, who also contributed a team-high seven rebounds.

“[Morgan] dominated the paint with his offensive rebounding,” Enfield commented. “Our guards got him the ball in good positions and he finished, and we need that from him. He’s a big part of our team, he’s a really good defender and he leads our league in blocked shots.”

Overall, it was a tough loss for USC men’s basketball to start out Pac-12 play. There were a few bright spots offensively, but the team is going to need to dig deeper in order to win some of the more competitive matchups this season.

The Trojans close out their road stretch at Oregon State on Saturday at 7 p.m.