By Jordan Moore on December 11, 2010 3:17 PM|No Comments
Donte Smith's career-night propelled the Trojans past a solid Northern Arizona team...
The senior captain found his hottest hand when USC needed it the most. Smith went on a personal 14-point run, including four three-pointers to turn a three-point game into a Trojan victory. "Donte really stepped up for us," Kevin O'Neill said. "That's kind of an understatement. What he did tonight won the game for us." Smith finished with a game-high 22 points.
On the other end, Alex Stepheson and Nikola Vucevic erased an undersized Lumberjacks team any time they stepped in the paint. The "Trojan Towers" combined for eight blocks. "Sometimes, I can't lie, KO tells us to keep them in front, but I let my man go because I know Alex is going to block it," Smith joked. "I love having two 6'10" dudes back there." In the last two games, the Trojans have rediscovered their beastly identity inside.
When USC walked into the post-game locker room, assistant coach Dieter Horton looked at Jio Fontan and said, "It's on now. Is it on?!? It's on!" After a year sitting on the sidelines, the Fordham transfer is finally eligible and O'Neill stated bluntly that he will start against Kansas next Saturday. Marcus Simmons made a stronger case tonight for the starting wing spot than freshman Bryce Jones, who struggled defensively and was saddled with foul trouble. "If he's on the premier player, he never makes a mistake," O'Neill said about his defensive stopper Simmons. However, Jones is a better finisher on the wing than Simmons, who struggled scoring on the fast break today.
Here is Donte Smith on the best performance of his USC career...
