Just nine games into the 2015-16 season, USC men's basketball player Bennie 'Buckets' Boatwright is making good on his nickname. The 6-foot-10 freshman leads the Trojans in made three-pointers this year, and put that specialty on full display Monday night as he and Katin Reinhardt led USC to a 74-55 victory over the Idaho Vandals.
Coming off their first true road win of the year at UC Santa Barbara, the Trojans got off to a sluggish start in the first half at the Galen Center shooting just 39.3 percent and, at one point, reaching an eight-point deficit. Despite scoring just six points in the first half, Boatwright turned up the heat in the second, scoring 11 points including three more three-pointers to tie his career-high of five in a single game. The entire team turned things around as well, shooting 53.6 in the second and reaching a 17-point lead with five minutes on the clock that never dipped below double digits for the remainder of the night.
Reinhardt, who had just five points in the first half, drained four threes in the second to tie Boatwright with 17 points in the game. Nikola Jovanovic and Julian Jacobs each added 11 points to round out the quartet of Trojans in double figures against the Vandals.
Next up on its five-game homestand, USC hosts Yale on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks and on the radio on ESPN 710 Los Angeles. Be sure to follow @USC_Hoops for in-game updates, highlights and more all season long.
Check out all the John McGillen photos from Monday's victory...
