Story Links Post-Game Press Conference LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) returned to the Galen Center for a Muss Bus Christmas as the Trojans took on the Montana State Bobcats. After securing a 24-point win in their first Big Ten road trip, the Trojans topped that performance by tying their largest margin of victory this season in an 89-63 win over the Bobcats. Just like their last game, the Trojans scored the very first basket of the game and never let up the lead from there. Desmond Claude kicked off the scoring with a layup followed up by a three-pointer from Chibuzo Agbo before Montana State could even get on the board. Even when they did, the Trojans hit a new gear. USC kept the Bobcats from scoring for over five minutes while going on a 13-0 run. Once Montana State broke that streak, USC just started again. They took that 13-0 run and added on nine more points while causing the Bobcats to turn the ball over five times in five minutes. By the end of 20 minutes, the score sat at 47-21 as the Trojans had their second straight game where they were up by 26 at the half. Once the second half began, the Bobcats came out strong with a 7-0 run over the Trojans. From there, the defense picked up for both teams as no one scored a basket for more than four minutes. When a basket sunk, the points belonged to the Bobcats. However, the Trojans were not going to let Montana State get any closer. They picked up the pace yet again as USC tied their biggest lead of the night at 31 on the back of Desmond Claude who scored 15 points in the second half alone. When the final buzzer sounded, the Trojans grabbed their second straight win as they dominated the Bobcats with a score of 89-63. This is the second time this season the Trojans won by 26 points. NOTABLES The Trojans started Josh Cohen, Desmond Claude, Wesley Yates III, Chibuzo Agbo and Saint Thomas for the second consecutive game. This is just the third time this season that Head Coach Eric Musselman went with the same lineup in back-to-back games. USC started the game on an 18-2 run that lasted over seven minutes. The Trojans had a 26-point advantage going into the halftime break for the second straight game as they also had that same lead against Washington. USC collected 25 rebounds in the first half - the most of any half this season. By the end of the second half, the Trojans had 49 rebounds, the most they secured in a game all season. As if that wasn't enough, they also secured 12 offensive rebounds, which is tied for the most in one game this season. USC held Montana State to three scoreless droughts of over three minutes in the first half alone. This is the fourth straight game where Desmond Claude finished with double-digit points as he went on to earn 19. He is averaging 18.5 points across those four games. This is the second straight game and fifth this season where four or more Trojans finish with double-digit points as Desmond Claude led the team with 19 followed by Saint Thomas with 17, Chibuzo Agbo with 12 and Rashaun Agee with 10. USC is 5-0 in games they score 80-plus points. USC held Montana State to 32.8 percent shooting - the lowest mark for the Bobcats this season. QUOTABLESCoach Eric Musselman on defensive preparation…"I think that when you have a new team, you need evidence to show guys where the holes are. We had some really physical practices. You do that every year whether it's closing out with bricks or weighted vests. We called a bunch of NBA teams, too, and asked them for different defensive drills. And I thought that helped us because they were just completely new and different from what our guys had seen over the eight weeks in the summer and then in the last two months. That really helped us. We're still going to do what we were doing, but we just needed to put them in some different scenarios." Coach Eric Musselman on the team's offensive efforts…"For whatever reason, this team, even in the game that we didn't really play well, it's the first team I've ever had in all the years where almost every game we haven't fallen behind at all. Knock on wood, because oftentimes you play 10 games and two games, you get down eight to four. We haven't really done that." Coach Eric Musselman on the prep work the team did this past week…"I think that defending the three was the theme, and we were just trying to eliminate their three ball attempts. They're a really well-coached team. They really space the floor. They'll probably be an NCAA tournament team as they were picked to win the league. We scheduled them with that thought process. There are not many teams that, in non-conference, have played their third Big Ten game. They played Northwestern down to a possession, and Northwestern is a really good team. If you watch the Wisconsin game, that was within single digits as well. So I thought our preparation was really good, especially since it's finals week for us right now, and it's not an easy thing at all. It's not an easy thing anywhere. And then, you know, with our academic standards here, our guys really worked this last week and a half to prepare for finals and prepare for papers. We cut practice back a little bit the last two days because of that, and then we have guys taking finals tomorrow." Saint Thomas on the team's improvement on defense…"Coach has been harping on us about our defense and playing the whole game, basically our only problem has been guarding the ball and playing as a unit on defense. This whole week, we just did defensive drills and defensive stations even if we didn't like it, but these are daily vitamins that you see out there in the game that we're actually implementing into our everyday lifestyle." Desmond Claude on the team's performance tonight…"I would say rebounding and then pushing the pace down offensively. That was one thing Coach wanted us to do well, especially starting with me. I'm glad we shared the ball really well. And I feel like we executed our plays and we stuck to our core principles. I think we were just more disciplined. We're starting to play better each game and we're finally starting to click. I think we just did really well on both ends of the floor." UP NEXTThe Trojans will return to the Galen Center again on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as they take on the Matadors of CSUN. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Print Friendly Version Read Full Article

USC Men's Basketball Dominates Montana State In 89

Story Links Post-Game Press Conference LOS ANGELES – USC Men’s Basketball (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) returned to the Galen Center for a Muss Bus Christmas as the Trojans took on the Montana State Bobcats. After securing a 24-point win in their first Big Ten road trip, the Trojans topped that performance by tying their largest margin […]

LOS ANGELES – USC Men’s Basketball (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) returned to the Galen Center for a Muss Bus Christmas as the Trojans took on the Montana State Bobcats. After securing a 24-point win in their first Big Ten road trip, the Trojans topped that performance by tying their largest margin of victory this season in an 89-63 win over the Bobcats.

Just like their last game, the Trojans scored the very first basket of the game and never let up the lead from there. Desmond Claude kicked off the scoring with a layup followed up by a three-pointer from Chibuzo Agbo before Montana State could even get on the board. Even when they did, the Trojans hit a new gear. USC kept the Bobcats from scoring for over five minutes while going on a 13-0 run. Once Montana State broke that streak, USC just started again. They took that 13-0 run and added on nine more points while causing the Bobcats to turn the ball over five times in five minutes. By the end of 20 minutes, the score sat at 47-21 as the Trojans had their second straight game where they were up by 26 at the half.

Once the second half began, the Bobcats came out strong with a 7-0 run over the Trojans. From there, the defense picked up for both teams as no one scored a basket for more than four minutes. When a basket sunk, the points belonged to the Bobcats. However, the Trojans were not going to let Montana State get any closer. They picked up the pace yet again as USC tied their biggest lead of the night at 31 on the back of Desmond Claude who scored 15 points in the second half alone. When the final buzzer sounded, the Trojans grabbed their second straight win as they dominated the Bobcats with a score of 89-63. This is the second time this season the Trojans won by 26 points.

NOTABLES

The Trojans started Josh Cohen, Desmond Claude, Wesley Yates III, Chibuzo Agbo and Saint Thomas for the second consecutive game. This is just the third time this season that Head Coach Eric Musselman went with the same lineup in back-to-back games.
USC started the game on an 18-2 run that lasted over seven minutes.
The Trojans had a 26-point advantage going into the halftime break for the second straight game as they also had that same lead against Washington.
USC collected 25 rebounds in the first half – the most of any half this season. By the end of the second half, the Trojans had 49 rebounds, the most they secured in a game all season. As if that wasn’t enough, they also secured 12 offensive rebounds, which is tied for the most in one game this season.
USC held Montana State to three scoreless droughts of over three minutes in the first half alone.
This is the fourth straight game where Desmond Claude finished with double-digit points as he went on to earn 19. He is averaging 18.5 points across those four games.
This is the second straight game and fifth this season where four or more Trojans finish with double-digit points as Desmond Claude led the team with 19 followed by Saint Thomas with 17, Chibuzo Agbo with 12 and Rashaun Agee with 10.
USC is 5-0 in games they score 80-plus points.
USC held Montana State to 32.8 percent shooting – the lowest mark for the Bobcats this season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on defensive preparation…
“I think that when you have a new team, you need evidence to show guys where the holes are. We had some really physical practices. You do that every year whether it’s closing out with bricks or weighted vests. We called a bunch of NBA teams, too, and asked them for different defensive drills. And I thought that helped us because they were just completely new and different from what our guys had seen over the eight weeks in the summer and then in the last two months. That really helped us. We’re still going to do what we were doing, but we just needed to put them in some different scenarios.”

Coach Eric Musselman on the team’s offensive efforts…
“For whatever reason, this team, even in the game that we didn’t really play well, it’s the first team I’ve ever had in all the years where almost every game we haven’t fallen behind at all. Knock on wood, because oftentimes you play 10 games and two games, you get down eight to four. We haven’t really done that.”

Coach Eric Musselman on the prep work the team did this past week…
“I think that defending the three was the theme, and we were just trying to eliminate their three ball attempts. They’re a really well-coached team. They really space the floor. They’ll probably be an NCAA tournament team as they were picked to win the league. We scheduled them with that thought process. There are not many teams that, in non-conference, have played their third Big Ten game. They played Northwestern down to a possession, and Northwestern is a really good team. If you watch the Wisconsin game, that was within single digits as well. So I thought our preparation was really good, especially since it’s finals week for us right now, and it’s not an easy thing at all. It’s not an easy thing anywhere. And then, you know, with our academic standards here, our guys really worked this last week and a half to prepare for finals and prepare for papers. We cut practice back a little bit the last two days because of that, and then we have guys taking finals tomorrow.”

Saint Thomas on the team’s improvement on defense…
“Coach has been harping on us about our defense and playing the whole game, basically our only problem has been guarding the ball and playing as a unit on defense. This whole week, we just did defensive drills and defensive stations even if we didn’t like it, but these are daily vitamins that you see out there in the game that we’re actually implementing into our everyday lifestyle.”

Desmond Claude on the team’s performance tonight…
“I would say rebounding and then pushing the pace down offensively. That was one thing Coach wanted us to do well, especially starting with me. I’m glad we shared the ball really well. And I feel like we executed our plays and we stuck to our core principles. I think we were just more disciplined. We’re starting to play better each game and we’re finally starting to click. I think we just did really well on both ends of the floor.”

UP NEXT
The Trojans will return to the Galen Center again on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as they take on the Matadors of CSUN. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.