USC Men's Basketball Fends Off Badgers For 73-71 Win

Sunday, January 25

Madison, Wis.

1 p.m.

USC

15-5,4-5Big Ten

Wisconsin

14-6,6-3Big Ten

Southern California

Wisconsin

USC Men's Basketball Fends Off Badgers For 73-71 Win

January 25, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights

Chad Baker-Mazara led USC with 29 points and six late points from Ezra Ausar gave the Trojans the win.

MADISON, Wis. – USC Men's Basketball (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) used a late surge to take down Wisconsin (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten) 73-71 in the Kohl Center on Sunday, Jan. 25.

USC handed Wisconsin its second home loss of the season with several standout performances and lockdown defense in the second half. The Trojans outshot the Badgers by connecting on 41% of their field goals compared to Wisconsin's 34.3% clip. Wisconsin shot at just 25.7% from the field in the second half thanks to USC's defense, and the Trojans overcame losing the rebounding battle 42-41.

Chad Baker-Mazara tied the game-high with 29 points while going 10-for-22 from the field. Ezra Ausar scored six of his 17 points in the final five minutes while adding seven rebounds and two blocks. Jacob Cofie grabbed 10 or more rebounds for the third-consecutive game, chipping in 11 rebounds and nine points while tying his career-high with five assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
USC's offense looked sharp from the jump, as four of the five Trojans scored in the first five minutes while the Badgers shot 4-for-16 from the field in the first 10 minutes. The Trojans pulled away with eight-straight points from Chad Baker-Mazara before Jacob Cofie nailed a three from the left wing to make the score 19-9, USC.

After struggling for the first 10 minutes, Wisconsin's offense woke up. Both teams traded baskets as the pace quickened and the Badgers pulled within six off a layup for Nick Boyd with less than nine minutes left in the half. But Baker-Mazara countered with his third three-pointer of the half on the next possession to make the score 28-19.

However, offensive rebounding got Wisconsin back in the game: The Badgers scored 12 second-chance points off seven offensive boards in the first half. After starting the game 1-for-10 from three, Wisconsin made five three-pointers in the last seven minutes to help chip away at USC's lead. Sparked by Boyd, who had 16 first-half points, Wisconsin closed the half on a 10-1 run to take a 41-39 lead.

USC reclaimed a 42-41 lead early in the second half with Baker-Mazara's fourth three of the afternoon, yet Boyd's seven points sparked a 9-0 Wisconsin run that gave them a 50-44 lead. The Badgers dominated the offensive glass — including one possession with five offensive rebounds — and started making threes in another 7-0 run that made the score 58-46 at the under-12 media timeout. During that span, the Trojans went 1-for-13 from the field before Cofie's putback snapped the scoreless spell.

From there, the Trojans took advantage of a nearly four-minute scoring drought from the Badgers to go on a 13-2 run and make the score 58-54, Wisconsin. Five straight points from Baker-Mazara gave USC a 62-60 lead — its first of the second half — yet the Badgers responded with a three on the other end to swing back in front.

Ausar took over late by scoring six of his 17 points in the final five minutes. His put-back with 2:49 to go gave USC a 67-65 lead, then Baker-Mazara found him for a layup that gave USC a two-possession advantage. Up 69-67 with less than a minute to go, Baker-Mazara made a runner to beat the shot-clock buzzer. Wisconsin would pull within two points, but on the Badgers' penultimate possession, Boyd's layup attempt was broken up by Jerry Easter II, who corralled the rebound before getting fouled. His free throws effectively iced the game before Wisconsin scored at the buzzer to cap off the 73-71 USC win.

NOTABLES

Chad Baker-Mazara started the first half with 13 points in 12 minutes played. He ultimately concluded the game with 29 points, which is his ninth game with at least 20 points this season. Baker-Mazara also added four rebounds and three assists while tying his season-high of five made three-pointers. Going 4-for-4 at the free throw line today, Baker-Mazara extended his streak to 18 consecutive makes.
Jacob Cofie finished today's game with 11 rebounds, becoming the first Trojan with three consecutive games with at least 10 rebounds since Isaiah Mobley did so from Dec. 7-15, 2021. Cofie also added nine points and tied his career-high of five assists.
Ezra Ausar reached double figures in his 11th-straight game tonight with 17 points. He also finished with seven rebounds and tied his season-high of two blocks.
USC held Wisconsin well below its season averages, shooting 34.3% from the field and 24.3% from three, compared to season marks of 45.8% and 34.9%, respectively.
The Trojans are now 5-0 in one-possession games this season, making USC one of three Big Ten teams with a perfect record in one-possession games this year.
Today's game marks the first USC victory against Wisconsin since 1982, when the Trojans won 76-86.
USC is now 3-3 against Wisconsin and Coach Musselman is now 1-1 against the Badgers.
Today's starting lineup featured Kam Woods, Alijah Arenas, Chad Baker-Mazara, Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie. This lineup is now 1-1 on the season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on how the Trojans came back and won today's game…
"Obviously, a huge win. Chad was phenomenal down the stretch. Our bigs did a great job because we did a switch game where we just switched. This is a huge win. We play better basketball on the road than we do at home, that's kind of a non-arguable truth of where we are. I'm really proud; what a job by Jerry Easter. He came in, and the two free throws were huge; the defense was huge. He was plus 11 basically the last 12 minutes of the game, so he was phenomenal for us."

Coach Eric Musselman on Jacob Cofie's and Ezra Ausar's performances…
"Jacob on the boards has been absolutely phenomenal, to think that three games of double-digit rebounds. His effort to pursue balls has been phenomenal. Ezra, he's really banged up, his back, his ankle, but he grinded through a game where many players wouldn't have played. So, it was super important to get an outstanding effort from him like we did tonight."

Coach Eric Musselman on the game plan heading into Wednesday's game at Iowa…
"Iowa is a really well-coached team; they're methodical. They have a point guard that plays at his own pace, who's an all-Big 10 tight player. We have our work cut out for us; it's a hard venue to win in."

UP NEXT
The Trojans will stay in the Midwest as they head to the University of Iowa. This game will take place in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 4 p.m. PT. Fans can watch on the Big Ten Network or listen through the USC Game Day app.