National Basketball Association
Texas A&M 75, Southern California 59
When: 10:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 26, 2017
Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
# Gerry Pollard, # Pat Evans, # Rob Rorke
Attendance:
5347
By The Sports Xchange
No. 16 Texas A&M went to Los Angeles to play No. 10 USC on Sunday night knowing the Trojans put up 85 points per game with four players who average double-figure scoring.
The Aggies emerged as the more balanced and potent team with five players scoring in double figures, led by 15 points by D.J. Hogg, in the 75-59 victory at the Galen Center.
Duane Wilson had 13 points and Tyler Davis, Tonny Trocha-Morelos and T.J. Starks each had 10 points for the Aggies (6-0).
"They came in averaging 85 points a game and we knew how dynamic they could be on offense," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "We knew it would take a great effort because they have so many guys who can score.
"I'm proud of these guys because they are buying in to what we're trying to do defensively. Winning on the road anywhere takes a lot of determination and toughness and we showed that tonight."
Texas A&M also had four players with at least eight rebounds, led by Admon Gilder with 10 boards. The Aggies outrebounded USC 52-39.
The Trojans, who made only 28.2 percent of their shots, were led by Chimezie Metu's 13 points and eight rebounds.
USC's leading scorer, junior forward Bennie Boatwright (18.5 points a game), struggled throughout, missing his first eight shots from the field and finishing with 10 points. He didn't score until 8:16 remained, on two free throws with USC trailing 61-47.
Boatwright missed four 3-point attempts until making his first field goal with a 3-pointer with 7:46 left, cutting Texas A&M's lead to 61-50. He finished 3 of 13 from the field.
The Trojans (4-1) could not draw closer than 10 points afterward.
"We just didn't make shots, and I'll take the blame for it," USC coach Andy Enfield said. "Maybe I was too hard on their legs in practice, or I have the wrong guys in the rotation shooting the ball. It's on me and I have to figure this out."
A 19-3 run by Texas A&M, capped by a Hogg 3-pointer, proved to be the difference, giving the Aggies a 61-45 lead before Boatwright started to warm up.
"We turned it up on defense and that got our offense going in transition," Kennedy said. "We feed off our defense."
Enfield was miffed that his seasoned players, such as Boatwright and senior guard Jordan McLaughlin (eight points on 3-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists), became "deflated."
"We had a couple of turnovers and missed some quick shots, and Texas A&M started to play with confidence (during the 19-3 run)," Enfield said. "We got deflated. I'm disappointed in our veteran team that we got deflated instead of digging deeper."
Wilson, a graduate transfer from Marquette, where he started 51 games in three seasons, was hobbled by a knee injury in the first half and was taken to the locker room before halftime.
Wilson, who landed awkwardly on his left leg on a layup attempt with 2:43 left before halftime, returned in the second half.
USC reserve Nick Rakocevic kept the Trojans close in the first half by scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He did not score in the second half.
NOTES: The matchup of No. 10 USC vs. No. 16 Texas A&M is the first game between ranked teams at the Galen Center since 2007. The only other matchup of ranked opponents at the Galen Center came on Dec. 2, 2007, when No. 4 Kansas defeated No. 22 USC 59-55. ... Texas A&M won its third game on the road against a ranked opponent. The Aggies beat No. 6 Kansas in Lawrence on Feb. 3, 2007, and No. 5 Texas in Austin on Jan. 30, 1982. ... USC won its previous 21 nonconference home games. ... The Trojans started the season 4-0 for the third consecutive season. Prior to that, USC had not gone 4-0 since the 2000-01 season.
Top Game Performances
| Texas A&M |
|
Southern California |
|
DJ Hogg 15 |
Scoring |
Chimezie Metu 13 |
|
DJ Hogg 4 |
Assists |
Jordan McLaughlin 7 |
|
Admon Gilder 10 |
Rebounds |
Chimezie Metu 8 |
|
DJ Hogg 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Elijah Stewart 4 |
|
DJ Hogg 3 |
Steals |
Jordan McLaughlin 2 |
|
Robert Williams 4 |
Blocks |
Bennie Boatwright 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Texas A&M
|
75 |
44.3 |
5-17 |
8-11 |
15 |
49 |
7 |
6 |
14 |
| Southern California
|
59 |
28.2 |
7-27 |
12-17 |
11 |
36 |
6 |
6 |
12 |
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