Southern Cal leveraged a stout defensive effort, leading nearly wire-to-wire, as it snapped a six-game losing streak with an 82-54 rout of visiting Oregon State on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The Trojans (9-13, 3-8 Pac-12) held the Beavers to just 18-for-52 shooting from the floor while knocking down 30 of 61 shots on their end. Meanwhile, USC dominated the glass with a 44-24 rebounding edge.
DJ Rodman recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high-equaling 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. The Trojans parlayed their 20-10 advantage in offensive rebounds into a 25-11 disparity in second-chance points.
Two of USC’s second-chance points came on a buzzer-beating Kijani Wright putback just before intermission, capping what proved to be the game’s decisive run.
Oregon State (11-11, 3-8) cut what had been a double-digit deficit for much of the first half to seven points before the Trojans responded with a 10-2 run to go into the locker room.
After the Beavers scored the first four points of the second half, USC went on another run of 15-2 to blow the game open.
Along with its advantage on the glass, USC also overwhelmed Oregon State on the interior to the tune of a 40-16 advantage on points in the paint.
Harrison Hornery led USC with 14 points. Oziyah Sellers and Wright each added 12 points, and Bronny James chipped in nine points. Ten different Trojans made at least one field goal.
Oregon State fell to 0-9 away from home this season. The Beavers scored a season-high 86 points the last time they faced USC — a 16-point Oregon State win on Dec. 30 — but the return match ranked among their worst offensive performances of the campaign.
Oregon State was stuck on 47 points, matching its lowest-scoring total of the season, for more than three minutes until a Jayden Stevens 3-pointer with 2:33 remaining.
Jordan Pope led three Beavers scoring in double-figures with 14 points. Tyler Bilodeau finished with 12 points, Dexter Akanno added 10 and Stevens had seven points. No other Oregon State scorer managed more than three.
–Field Level Media
