Postgame Notes: USC Men's Basketball vs. Dixie State
POSTGAME NOTES: USC vs. DIXIE STATE
- With the 98-71 win tonight, USC improves to 4-0 and Dixie State falls to 1-4
- This game marked the first-ever meeting in basketball between the two schools.
- Tonight's win marks USC's fifth 4-0 start in last seven seasons.
- The last time USC began 4-0 was in the 2019-20 season when it began 5-0.
- USC started a lineup of Ethan Anderson (G), Boogie Ellis (G), Drew Peterson (G), Chevez Goodwin (F) and Isaiah Mobley (F).
- USC's first basket of the game was a jumper by Drew Peterson.
- USC head coach Andy Enfield picked up his 202nd career win, 161 at USC.
- Boogie Ellis led USC with 19 points.
- Max Agbonkpolo recorded a career-high 17 points.
- Five Trojans scored in double figures - Boogie Ellis (19), Max Agbonkpolo (17), Isaiah Mobley (14), Ethan Anderson (13), Chevez Goodwin (12).
ANDY ENFIELD QUOTES:
"It was nice to be back on our home court and be home. Our guys shared the ball and played good defense. Dixie State played well at the end of the first half. We made some defensive mistakes with some switching. We have to get better at that. Our guys adjusted in the second half. We expected them to play better defense. The last five minutes of the first half, we let down on defense. We fixed that in the second half.
"Reese played really well. He played good defense and made shots. He has improved a lot these last few weeks. So have our other freshmen. Boogie is shooting well and sharing the ball.
"Max shot well and played great in the second half. To see his first shot go in gave him great confidence.
"Our second group played really well."
CHEVEZ GOODWIN QUOTES:
"Max worked hard in the pre-season. It's great to see him do well. That's a big number tonight. He's a big help to our team. I'm happy to see him be Max.
"We had focus in the second half. That's on us in the first half. We're a good team. If we take care of what we can control, we can be good.
"Our chemistry, it's forming now. It's a slow grind. I'm not worried.
"Coach made our size a key to the game. Take care of the ball and use our size. I just try to change the momentum of the game."
MAX AGBONKPOLO QUOTES:
"It was very important to hit my shots tonight. It was getting in my head the first three games. My teammates said to keep shooting. Tonight they went in and it felt good. Defense and rebounding are big things for me.
"We've been playing together for a long time. It's great to show everyone it's coming together."
DIXIE STATE HEAD COACH JON JUDKINS
"I thought our offense tonight was good, we had some really good looks. That first 10 minutes we couldn't make a shot and they made everything. Our guys kept fighting and this is the biggest team we will probably ever face. It's unreal how long they are and they cause problems in your shots. Our guys were hesitating to shoot, and when you do that, you're going to miss."
"We tried everything we could. We tried pressure, we tried zoning, we tried everything, and they're just a really good team. We made a run and had a second half. We had some opportunities and there's definitely some things we learned, but that's why we wanted to play them. We know how good they are."
"We had some patience and got some good shots; it just wasn't one of our nights shooting wise. This is our third game in four days, and I think our guy's legs are a little tired, and maybe that's why we missed some shots. You're always going to miss, so we just have to keep shooting them and defensively we have a way to go. Rebounding and defense tonight is how they took advantage of us tonight, but they're a very good team. That's why they are in the top-25, no question."
