Yahoo Sports USC bench helps power Trojans to win over San José State at Galen Center
As the game dwindled down in its final minutes, USC’s Chibuzo Agbo held the ball in the post under the basket with a player defending him. He was seemingly out of options until he found Matt Knowling cutting to the basket and fed him a bounce pass. Knowling slammed home the exclamation-point basket during the Trojans’ 82-68 victory over the San José State Spartans at the Galen Center on Wednesday night.
USC needed a balanced effort to bounce back from its first loss Sunday against California.
“It’s our job to try to win every possession,” USC coach Eric Musselman said after the win. “Defensively, you want perfection. Offensively, you want perfection. I’m still trying to figure this out.”
Growing pains showed as San Jose State (1-5) hung around for most of the first half, capitalizing on a slow start by USC (4-1). Will McClendon provided the spark for the Spartans with 13 first-half points.
Read more: Andrej Stojakovic and Cal hand USC its first loss of season
“We didn’t do a very good job on their star,” Musselman said of his team’s defensive showing on McClendon, a transfer from UCLA. “I’m disappointed that the stars keep torching us, because these guys are having career nights. It’s got to stop, certainly before we get to Big Ten play and before we get to Palm Springs.”
Both teams had nearly identical stats at halftime: USC had slight edges in shooting and three-point percentage, turnovers, assists and rebounds, but a 28-point performance from USC’s bench — led by Terrance Williams II (and Wesley Yates III — carried the Trojans to a seven-point halftime lead.
USC went on a 10-0 run during the first five minutes of the second half to extend its lead to 15. That run, according to Williams, was exactly what the Trojans had been missing.
“That’s what Coach Muss harped on at halftime, is extending the lead,” said Williams, who for the team high with 20 points. “We usually get a lead, but [we don’t] always string along stops and scores at the same time. So today, we strung along some stops and then scored on the other end."
Read more: JuJu Watkins leads all scorers as USC sets school record for most points in victory
Just when it looked like San José State was rallying, the Trojans’ bench stepped up again as Agbo, who had been in a shooting slump, hit three consecutive three-pointers.
Agbo shouldered the load offensively for the Trojans in the second half when he scored 15 of his 20 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.
“We need him,” Williams said. “It’s going to be slumps in this game. You've just got to keep staying consistent, being in the gym, them shots gonna fall eventually. Today they fell, and it’s just a start.”
The Spartans didn’t go away, mounting a late 8-0 run to trim USC’s lead to 10, but a jumper and pair of free throws from Knowling (12 points) shut down the rally.
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USC will host Grambling on Sunday before playing in the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs next week. Williams, a Michigan transfer, has been pushing his teammates to view these nonconference games as a learning opportunity before the team begins Big Ten play in December.
“That’s when it really matters, for real,” Williams said. “We’re going to keep trying to figure out these defensive rotations, we’re going to keep working at it every day in the gym. But today, I definitely think we saw a little bit of improvement, and all it takes is 1% each game and I think we’ll be good for Big Ten.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
