One path closed to the hoop, then another, then another, each slammed shut with a sudden streak of cardinal and gold, before Illinois State forward Chase Walker found himself enveloped by four towering Trojans, each with their arms high in the air. He could barely budge before the shot clock sounded.
When Eric Musselman had envisioned a potentially stifling defense in his second season as USC’s coach, this was precisely what he had in mind: Staggering size, suffocating length and ferocious effort to match.
But Friday night’s 87-67 win over Illinois State would offer only a temporary glimpse of the Trojans’ defensive ceiling, before reminding how much USC still has to figure out from here.
Point guard does not appear to be one of those problems. Rodney Rice continued his stellar start to the season with one of the best performances of his collegiate career. He tallied a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the last of which came in the waning seconds of the game.
Chad Baker-Mazara added 18 points, while 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks in his best showing yet.
What started as defensive dominance, however, slid briefly into indifference for the Trojans after halftime, for long enough that Illinois State fired its way back into the game. A 21-point lead late in the first half for USC faded to just six points, six minutes into the second.
The Trojans came out cold after halftime with the exception of forward Ezra Ausar, who scored the team’s first eight points of the half, keeping them afloat amid a Redbird barrage. Ausar finished with 13 points.
But eventually, midway through the second, USC’s defense clamped down, cruising to its third straight victory to start the season.
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