USC Men's Basketball Topple Cal in First Road Test

In their 237th meeting all-time, the No. 21 USC Trojans Men's basketball team knocks off the California Golden Bears on the road by a 77-65 final in the Bay. 

The Trojans improved to 3-0 to start the new season, with Alijah Arenas leading the way offensively with 19 points on 50% shooting from the floor and seven rebounds. 

USC wishes they could wipe out the first 10 minutes of this game. Contested shots and early fouls were just a few of the negatives to kick off the game, and it was mostly negatives. 

USC shot less than 30% (5-for-17) from the floor by the time the first media timeout rang, and the Trojans had no feel for the three-point shot, shooting just 22% (2-for-9) from beyond the arc. 

Though the shooting from beyond the arc was abysmal as they came, they were shooting over 60% from inside the arc — a shot selection that was being overlooked in the early going. 

By the second media timeout of the first half, the Trojans held a slim 21-20 lead over the Golden Bears, and wouldn't you know it, Arenas (seven points) and Rodney Rice (nine points) made up for 15 of the Trojans 21 points. 

The USC offense picked up down the stretch, going on a 7-0 run to end the half, and making 4 of their last 5 field goal attempts. Rice led in first-half points with 12 on 4-of-10 shooting, and Arenas followed suit with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and six rebounds. 

At the first media timeout of the second half, the Trojans had three players in double digits. Arenas, Rice, and Senior guard KJ Lewis all had 12 points. 

Lewis was the main anchor from beyond the arc for USC, knocking down 2 of 3 attempts from the three-point line up to that point. 

At one point, the Trojans led by as much as 11 points, but Nojus Indrusaitis scored the Golden Bears' next seven points and had Cal within striking distance.

But just when the Golden Bears had something going offensively, the Trojans responded in a big way. Multiple scoring runs separated the line between USC and Cal, especially the double-double performance from Jacob Cofie, who had 13 points and 15 rebounds. 

By the end of it, the Trojans had four players in double figures and outscored Cal 38-35 in the second half. 

Looking ahead, the Trojans return home from their two-game road trip on Nov. 15 to host the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions.