USC men’s basketball overcomes tough start in win over Cal Poly
For most of Monday night, USC played exactly like a team with 13 freshmen.
Coach Eric Musselman’s preseason concerns about the Trojans’ offense likely haven’t been allayed after USC struggled in the first half of its season opener against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at the Galen Center.
Cal Poly, a mediocre player coming off a 16-19 season, didn’t let USC escape the game, as the Trojans held on to a six-point lead at halftime.
But then forward Jacob Coffey — one of 10 additions in the transfer portal — came alive in the second half, scoring a 23-point double-double as the Trojans cruised to a comfortable 94-64 victory.
Kofi added 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Ezra Osar added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. Rodney Rice had 21 points and eight assists for the Trojans.
Virginia’s Kofi had just four points in the first half as Rice and Jaden Brownell led the charge during a first half that looked like the Trojans were sleepwalking at times.
Although the Mustangs forced 10 turnovers in the first half, USC scored just eight of them. This was exacerbated early when Cal Poly turned the ball over five times over the first three minutes, but the Trojans only made one of their first six attempts (16.7%) from the field in the opening minutes.
The offense seemed to wake up when Brownell and Jerry Easter II got two quick layups off the Cal Poly turnover. Brownell drained a three on the next possession, and Coffey dunked to end the drive and give the Trojans their first double-digit lead of the game.
But USC would go cold again in the latter part of the half, going the final four minutes without scoring until Rice hit a mid-range jumper from the elbow with 34 seconds left.
Cofie immediately set the tone in the second half with a steal, offensive rebound and layup to start the scoring within the first 30 seconds. He finished the game hitting all four of his final shots, and finished things off by hitting one more with 41 seconds left.