The Trojans notched their third consecutive win of the season in the first of a three-game home stand.
Steady Improvement
With a win over LMU on Wednesday the Trojans improved to 5-3 on the year. The young team stumbled in several of the season's early games but appears to be gaining confidence after a big win on the road over New Mexico and a dominating win at home to follow. Standing out amongst the steadily improving freshmen group is Jordan McLaughlin, who led the team in scoring with 18 points and seven assists."I thought he had a great game on Sunday at Albuquerque," said head coach Andy Enfield. "He had seven assists and one turnover. Tonight he had seven and three, and 18 points. Defensively, he's really improved. We still make a few freshman and sophomore mistakes. But I'm really proud of him."
Numbers Game
For the fifth time this season, USC held its opponent to under 40 percent shooting. The Lions finished with a 36.8 field goal percentage and 16 turnovers. After playing six games in 11 days to start the season, Enfield explained that the practice time the Trojans have had the past week has significantly impacted the team's ability to correct mistakes on both sides of the ball. "I think our young players are getting better and we're better as a team," Enfield said after Wednesday night's game. "To win at The Pit was a big game for us because our young players kept their composure, they carried that over tonight. Our guys turned the heat up a bit and defended at a high level."
Slam City
The athletic play Trojan fans have been eager to see all season was on full display Wednesday night as USC scored a season-high 77 points. Four players in Cardinal and Gold scored in double-figures: Nikola Jovanovic, Katin Reinhardt, Julian Jacobs and McLaughlin. The Trojans slammed home five dunks and scored 17 fast break points, a style of play Enfield said he expects to see out of his young and athletic team.
Here are the SnappyTV highlights from tonight's victory:
