USC pulls away from Stanford late in a 93-79 shootout

USC Trojans #0 Kobe Johnson (G) is going up with a floater over a Stanford Cardinal defender at the Galen Center. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Stanford Cardinal (7-7) kept the game close in the first half against the USC Trojans (8-7) before running out of steam late, falling 93-79 at the Galen Center.

Three players scored over 20 points for the Trojans as Isaiah Collier led the way with 26 points. Boogie Ellis added 22 points while Kobe Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals for USC. Micheal Jones paced the Cardinal attack with 23 points.

“When Kobe, Isaiah, and Boogie play well we’re undefeated,” said Trojan coach Andy Enfield of the Trojan three-headed monsters. 

It was a wild west shootout early with both teams combining for seven three-pointers in the first four minutes. Stanford struck first with Spencer Jones draining a three-pointer. Not to be outdone, Boogie Ellis nailed a shot from downtown seconds later off a slick Isaiah Collier pass to tie the game at 3-3.

Both teams combined to make five straight threes over the next two minutes as USC pulled ahead on a Collier three, 14-11.

Stanford forward Brandon Angel countered with three of his own the old-fashioned way as powered his way through Trojan defenders with a monster slam as he was fouled. He completed the three-point play at the foul line to tie the game at 14 a-piece with 13:40 remaining in the first half.

Both teams would trade baskets the rest of the half but a few key Trojan defensive stops allowed them to pull slightly ahead. In the final minutes of the first half, USC freshman Bronny James anticipated Stanford calling a time-out on a critical momentum play. He stepped in and drew a charge on a Cardinal player coming full speed to cross half-court and call the timeout. The hustle play electrified the crowd including Bronny’s father Lebron who ecstatically jumped to his feet clapping after the drawn charge. 

“Bronny is a very smart basketball player, he plays hard every possession,” said Enfield. “Defensively he helps us.”

The defense was contagious for the Trojans who forced 18 turnovers and had 13 steals on the night.

In the final minute, the USC defense led to three missed Stanford shots and a turnover as the Trojans took a 39-35 lead into halftime.

USC’s Big Three had 37 of their 39 first-half points and it was a shooting clinic from deep as both teams combined for 14 three-pointers. Stanford shot 46 percent from three while USC shot a red-hot 53 percent. Both teams shot better from three-point-land than they did from the field as a whole. 

USC Trojans #5 Boogie Ellis (G) three-point shot in front of his bench. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.

Despite the Trojans shooting lights out from behind the arc, they struggled from the charity stripe in the first half missing four of their five attempts, shooting 20 percent. A rough start for a Trojan team that came in shooting 72 percent from the free-throw line.

Things started to get physical in the second half when Bronny was fouled hard in the paint, which riled up the Galen Center crowd. He made both free throws to give USC a 59-51 lead with 12:44 remaining in the second half.

Two minutes later Ellis took a hard hit on a layup drive as multiple players fell to the ground like bowling bins. Stanford was able to scoop up possession and get the ball to Angel who hit a three cutting the lead down to five; 61-56 midway with 10:45 remaining.

Less than a minute later Bronny was hit hard on an away-from-the-ball foul that seemed to rattle the young freshman momentarily. Bronny missed the 1-and-1 free throw and Michael Jones scored on the next possession to tie the game up at 61, capping a 10-0 Cardinal run with 9:46 remaining. 

Enfield responded by subbing in his starters on short rest. The gamble paid off with USC going on a 17-7 run pulling ahead 78-68.

Bronny served as a defensive specialist in the final minutes putting the clamps on Stanford point guard Jared Bynum in crucial moments down the stretch. Bynum finished with only two points on the night.

“It’s great to have him out on the floor cause when he’s out there he’s going all out,” said Johnson. “He plays his heart out and you can’t ask for anything else.”

In the final minute, the Trojan defense put the final nail in the coffin with Collier’s stout defense on Bynum forcing the guard to dribble the ball off his foot. As it rolled into the backcourt Collier’s sprint beat Bynum’s jog to the ball, with the Trojan guard’s hustle play ending in a basket and foul. Collier completed the three-point-play hitting the free throw as the Trojans finished with the 93-79 win.

After failing to win a home game since November the Trojans have now won back-to-back home games this week and three of their last four games. They’ll try to make it three straight wins at home when they host Washington State on January 10th at the Galen Center.