University Southern California Trojans
Tuesday, December 9
San Diego, Calif.
6 p.m.
USC
9-1,1-1Big Ten
94
at
81
San Diego
3-6,0-0WCC
1
2
F
Southern California
38
56
94
San Diego
38
43
81
USC Men’s Basketball Heats Up in the Second Half to Beat San Diego 94-81
December 09, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Ezra Ausar and Chad Baker-Mazara combined for 60 points in the win.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Playing its first road game against San Diego since 2016, the USC men's basketball team prevailed 94-81 over the hosting San Diego Toreros on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
On a night when Head Coach Eric Musselman returned to his alma mater, Musselman's new squad overpowered the Toreros with a huge second half. The Trojans shook off a slow start before outscoring San Diego 56-43 in the last 20 minutes while connecting on 66.7% of its second-half field goals. USC shot a season-best 61.7% from the floor and 56.3% from three.
Chad Baker-Mazara led the way for USC with 31 points, making him the first Trojan to score more than 20 points in four consecutive games since Byron Wesley did so from Dec. 22, 2013, to Jan. 9, 2014. Ezra Ausar stole the show late by scoring 22 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. Jaden Brownell added a season-high 16 points in the win.
Tuesday was Musselman's first time coaching against his alma mater. He was part of two NCAA Tournament teams from 1983-87.
HOW IT HAPPENED
USC took a 4-0 lead from points in the paint from Ezra Ausar and Chad Baker-Mazara. The Toreros tied it up before Jacob Cofie muscled his way in the paint, and Jaden Brownell splashed a triple in transition to push the Trojans to a 9-4 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. But San Diego would find its scoring touch, getting to the glass twice and making a three-pointer to take its first advantage of the game, 11-9.
Jordan Marsh would end USC's three-minute field-goal drought, nailing a floater at 11:57 to tie the game at 13. While the Toreros sank a three-pointer, Baker-Mazara responded with one of his own to tie it 16-16. However, the Toreros pushed the pace in transition, with their quick tempo leading to back-to-back shots from downtown. They led 22-17 with less than nine minutes to go, but USC would get within one, thanks to Ausar's free throws and Marsh's fast-break layup.
With both teams' aggressive offenses, the lead flipped five times in the last six minutes. The final stretch of the half saw Chad Baker-Mazara deliver on all aspects of the offense – hitting his third three-pointer of the game, finding Ausar down low, and getting to the charity stripe. While his 15-point first-half performance gave the Trojans a two-point lead, San Diego scored on its last possession to level it 38-38 heading into the break.
Ausar got on the board first in the second half, and USC flipped the script when Ausar took control of the game and went off on a solo 7-0 run. During his singlehanded surge, he converted the three-point play at the block, picked off a Torero pass, and sailed to the other end to dunk to finish through the contact at the rim to make it 53-48, USC.
After Ausar gave USC a spark, the Trojans rattled off six more unanswered points – plus a monster defensive stuff by Baker-Mazara. The Trojans' 13-0 run was capped with Ausar at the paint, who, at that point, had outscored the Toreros in the second half. Behind a Baker-Mazara three-pointer and more Ausar firepower, USC earned a 68-52 lead.
With 10:40 on the clock, San Diego received a six-point boost from hitting shots at the line, but Brownell delivered with a crafty layup inside the paint and outside the arc on consecutive USC possessions. His fourth three of the night brought the Trojans to a 75-58 advantage with under 10 minutes to go, and USC maintained its double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
Baker-Mazara hit a step-back three to put USC up 80-63 with 6:46 left, giving him a season-high five made threes. While the Toreros tried to trim the deficit, they had no answer for Ausar, who continued to dominate the hardwood. He ran the interior lanes to connect on his second dunk of the game, then hit two free throws at the five-minute mark to mark a new career-high of 29 points in scoring. The Trojans stayed consistent the rest of the way, closing out the night with a 94-81 victory.
NOTABLES
QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on the game as a whole…
"I thought, first half, you know, we turned the ball over way too much. Offense was just sloppy with the turnovers. Our shooting percentage was great. We didn't get enough shots on goal. Credit to San Diego. I thought they outreacted to us. Then in the second half, I thought we came out and played the way that we're supposed to again, other than turning the basketball over, and then, the last 3 minutes of the game. Just disappointed in how we closed the game."
Coach Eric Musselman on Chad Baker-Mazara and his role with the team…
"His shot selection's been good. I mean, he'll take super difficult shots that look kind of crazy. For CBM, they're pretty decent shots, and they look kind of wacko. Then we're putting him in a lot of pick-and-rolls. He's really playing point forward for us. Look, it's a struggle without Rodney, Amarion and Alijah. We're kind of surviving, but we do have to get a lot better. That was the message after the game, you know, we've got to get back to our DNA offensively, our DNA defensively. We took great care of the ball against Washington, and tonight we didn't value the ball at all.
Coach Eric Musselman on Ryan Cornish getting the start…
"We need to get something out of all five starters. We felt like Ryan had the right mentality. We felt like Ryan would move the ball, and then defensively, Ryan took a couple of charges. He's given us a little bit of a defensive intensity and some toughness that I thought we needed."
UP NEXT
USC returns to the Galen Center to host Washington State this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Fans can watch on FS1 or listen through ESPN LA 710.
On a night when Head Coach Eric Musselman returned to his alma mater, Musselman's new squad overpowered the Toreros with a huge second half. The Trojans shook off a slow start before outscoring San Diego 56-43 in the last 20 minutes while connecting on 66.7% of its second-half field goals. USC shot a season-best 61.7% from the floor and 56.3% from three.
Chad Baker-Mazara led the way for USC with 31 points, making him the first Trojan to score more than 20 points in four consecutive games since Byron Wesley did so from Dec. 22, 2013, to Jan. 9, 2014. Ezra Ausar stole the show late by scoring 22 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. Jaden Brownell added a season-high 16 points in the win.
Tuesday was Musselman's first time coaching against his alma mater. He was part of two NCAA Tournament teams from 1983-87.
HOW IT HAPPENED
USC took a 4-0 lead from points in the paint from Ezra Ausar and Chad Baker-Mazara. The Toreros tied it up before Jacob Cofie muscled his way in the paint, and Jaden Brownell splashed a triple in transition to push the Trojans to a 9-4 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. But San Diego would find its scoring touch, getting to the glass twice and making a three-pointer to take its first advantage of the game, 11-9.
Jordan Marsh would end USC's three-minute field-goal drought, nailing a floater at 11:57 to tie the game at 13. While the Toreros sank a three-pointer, Baker-Mazara responded with one of his own to tie it 16-16. However, the Toreros pushed the pace in transition, with their quick tempo leading to back-to-back shots from downtown. They led 22-17 with less than nine minutes to go, but USC would get within one, thanks to Ausar's free throws and Marsh's fast-break layup.
With both teams' aggressive offenses, the lead flipped five times in the last six minutes. The final stretch of the half saw Chad Baker-Mazara deliver on all aspects of the offense – hitting his third three-pointer of the game, finding Ausar down low, and getting to the charity stripe. While his 15-point first-half performance gave the Trojans a two-point lead, San Diego scored on its last possession to level it 38-38 heading into the break.
Ausar got on the board first in the second half, and USC flipped the script when Ausar took control of the game and went off on a solo 7-0 run. During his singlehanded surge, he converted the three-point play at the block, picked off a Torero pass, and sailed to the other end to dunk to finish through the contact at the rim to make it 53-48, USC.
After Ausar gave USC a spark, the Trojans rattled off six more unanswered points – plus a monster defensive stuff by Baker-Mazara. The Trojans' 13-0 run was capped with Ausar at the paint, who, at that point, had outscored the Toreros in the second half. Behind a Baker-Mazara three-pointer and more Ausar firepower, USC earned a 68-52 lead.
With 10:40 on the clock, San Diego received a six-point boost from hitting shots at the line, but Brownell delivered with a crafty layup inside the paint and outside the arc on consecutive USC possessions. His fourth three of the night brought the Trojans to a 75-58 advantage with under 10 minutes to go, and USC maintained its double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
Baker-Mazara hit a step-back three to put USC up 80-63 with 6:46 left, giving him a season-high five made threes. While the Toreros tried to trim the deficit, they had no answer for Ausar, who continued to dominate the hardwood. He ran the interior lanes to connect on his second dunk of the game, then hit two free throws at the five-minute mark to mark a new career-high of 29 points in scoring. The Trojans stayed consistent the rest of the way, closing out the night with a 94-81 victory.
NOTABLES
- Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 31 points, a season-high six assists and eight rebounds, reaching a career total of 400 rebounds. By scoring 31 points, Baker-Mazara became the first USC player to score 20 or more points in four consecutive games since Byron Wesley did so in 2013-14.
- It was Baker-Mazara's second 30-point game this season. His 16 second-half points tied his season-high for any half this year.
- Ezra Ausar had a career-high 29 points, powered by 22 points in the second half. He has also gotten a dunk in all but one game this season.
- Jaden Brownell tied his season high with 16 points. His four made threes were not only a season-high, but also gave him four consecutive games with multiple made threes.
- Jordan Marsh surpassed his season-high in rebounds, ending the night with five. He also had six points and two assists.
- Tuesday was the 10th-straight game where at least seven USC players found the scoring column.
- USD has averaged 44.1% shooting this season and the Trojans held them to 38.8%.
- USC is now 7-0 against San Diego all-time and Coach Musselman is now 1-0 against the Toreros.
- USC debuted a new starting lineup featuring Ryan Cornish, Jerry Easter II, Chad Baker-Mazara, Jacob Cofie and Ezra Ausar. This lineup is 1-0 on the season.
QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on the game as a whole…
"I thought, first half, you know, we turned the ball over way too much. Offense was just sloppy with the turnovers. Our shooting percentage was great. We didn't get enough shots on goal. Credit to San Diego. I thought they outreacted to us. Then in the second half, I thought we came out and played the way that we're supposed to again, other than turning the basketball over, and then, the last 3 minutes of the game. Just disappointed in how we closed the game."
Coach Eric Musselman on Chad Baker-Mazara and his role with the team…
"His shot selection's been good. I mean, he'll take super difficult shots that look kind of crazy. For CBM, they're pretty decent shots, and they look kind of wacko. Then we're putting him in a lot of pick-and-rolls. He's really playing point forward for us. Look, it's a struggle without Rodney, Amarion and Alijah. We're kind of surviving, but we do have to get a lot better. That was the message after the game, you know, we've got to get back to our DNA offensively, our DNA defensively. We took great care of the ball against Washington, and tonight we didn't value the ball at all.
Coach Eric Musselman on Ryan Cornish getting the start…
"We need to get something out of all five starters. We felt like Ryan had the right mentality. We felt like Ryan would move the ball, and then defensively, Ryan took a couple of charges. He's given us a little bit of a defensive intensity and some toughness that I thought we needed."
UP NEXT
USC returns to the Galen Center to host Washington State this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Fans can watch on FS1 or listen through ESPN LA 710.
Team Stats
USC
SD
FG%
.617
.394
3FG%
.563
.300
FT%
.771
.833
RB
36
32
TO
21
14
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Pts
31
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
10
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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