Field Level Media
Jan 28, 2021
Evan Mobley recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and USC combined a 48-30 rebounding advantage and stout defensive effort to defeat Oregon State 75-62 on Thursday at Los Angeles.
The Trojans (13-3, 7-2 Pac-12) used second-half runs of 11-3 and 7-0 to push their advantage to 65-49 with 5:28 remaining. USC needed the cushion, as Oregon State responded with an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to pull back within seven.
Oregon State's Ethan Thompson scored seven of his game-high 20 points during the late surge, but it was not enough to pull the Beavers any closer than the seven-point margin. With the loss, Oregon State's three-game winning streak, that included a 58-56 victory over USC on Jan. 19, came to an end.
The Beavers (8-6, 4-4) won the prior matchup at home with a stifling defensive showing. The early minutes of Thursday's matchup repeated the earlier meeting's pattern, with USC missing 12 of its first 16 shot attempts.
Despite the scoring woes, Oregon State could not build its early lead to any more than five points. USC capitalized, heading into halftime with a 30-27 lead after a final-minute stretch with a Tahj Eaddy 3-pointer and Mobley dunk just before the buzzer.
Mobley led four Trojans scorers in double figures. Noah Baumann shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range en route to 11 points, Isaiah White added another 11 points, and Ethan Anderson scored 10 points.
USC's Chevez Goodwin, who chipped in eight points, contributed to the overwhelming disparity on the glass with 10 rebounds. Goodwin also played a crucial role in a swarming interior defense, locking up the paint alongside Mobley and his three blocked shots.
USC held Oregon State to 35.5 percent shooting from the floor and allowed only 14 made field goals from inside the 3-point arc.
The Beavers made eight 3-pointers - half of which came from Jarod Lucas, who scored 18 points - but went just 33.3 percent from long range as a team.
--Field Level Media