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USC’s Isaiah Mobley shoots as UC Irvine’s Collin Welp defends during Tuesday night’s game at the Galen Center. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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UC Irvine Dawson Baker (1) grabs a rebound away from USC’s Isaiah Mobley (3) during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Isaiah Mobley (3) shoots as UC Irvine’s Collin Welp (40) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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UC Irvine’s Austin Johnson (13) blocks the shot of USC’s Chevez Goodwin (1) during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Drew Peterson (13) shoots as UC Irvine DJ Davis (22) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Evan Mobley (4) attempts to steal the ball away from UC Irvine Jeron Artest (15) during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Evan Mobley (4) shoots as UC Irvine Dawson Baker (1) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Chevez Goodwin (1) grabs a rebound during their game against UC Irvine at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Drew Peterson (13) dunks the ball as UC Irvine JC Butler (0) looks on during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Drew Peterson (13) dunks the ball as UC Irvine JC Butler (0) looks on during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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UC Irvine’s Dawson Baker (1) looks to pass as USC’s Isaiah White (5) and Drew Peterson (13) defend during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Chevez Goodwin (1) lays the ball up as UC Irvine Ofure Ujadughele (10) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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UC Irvine’s Collin Welp (40) lays the ball up as USC’s Evan Mobley (4) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Isaiah White (5) shoots as UC Irvine Austin Johnson (13) defends during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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USC’s Evan Mobley (4) and UC Irvine’s Emmanuel Tshimanga (25) battle for a rebound during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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during their game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LOS ANGELES — The USC men’s basketball team didn’t let its first loss of the season linger, bouncing back with a thorough 91-56 victory over UC Irvine on Tuesday night at the Galen Center.
Trojans center Evan Mobley led all players with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, while Noah Baumann added 18 points for USC (4-1). Isaiah Mobley had nine points and six rebounds, giving the Mobley brothers 17 of USC’s 42 rebounds. Guard Dawson Baker led the Anteaters (2-3) with 18 points while making three of four attempts from 3-point range.
“I thought tonight was a very important game for us,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “I was very impressed, our coaching staff was very impressed with the energy tonight, their intensity and their ability to (execute) that for the full 40 minutes instead of just 20.”
USC was without starting point guard Ethan Anderson (back) for a second consecutive game. Whereas this absence was profoundly felt in last week’s loss to Connecticut, the Trojans found ways to compensate against UCI.
The Trojans didn’t rely on a single ball handler, instead moving the ball around the perimeter via hand-offs to find favorable matchups. And USC’s big men were smart when the UCI defense collapsed, kicking out to open shooters for 3-pointers four times in the first half.
And USC was quick to run in transition, too. With 7:09 left in the first half, Max Agbonkpolo grabbed a rebound and pushed it ahead to Baumann, who sent a no-look pass to Drew Peterson for a dunk and a 10-point lead.
While USC had four total assists in the UConn loss, the Trojans assisted on 23 of 32 made baskets in this one. USC shot 50% on 24 attempts from 3-point range while scoring 15 points off UCI’s 13 turnovers.
“I thought we played inside-outside to start the game,” Enfield said. “And when Noah Baumann hit his first 3-point shot that opened the floor up.”
But there are two sides to that coin, the other being that the UCI defense struggled all night. Head coach Russell Turner called a timeout in the first half to rip into forward Collin Welp when his lax interior defense allowed USC center Chevez Goodwin to pivot into an open second-chance dunk.
But when UCI left Baumann open for a transition 3-pointer and a 19-point lead minutes later, Turner could only walk to the end of his bench, scratching his head in frustration.
“Me and Drew just made an effort to really up the tempo and do our best job to put UC Irvine in a predicament where they’re in a hole,” Baumann said.
The Anteaters, who have the nation’s second-youngest roster this season, with 13 underclassmen and just two upperclassmen, did have a run in them in the second half. After a 3-pointer by Mobley extended USC’s lead to 28, UC Irvine went on a 9-0 run started by a three-point play from Austin Johnson (10 points, seven rebounds).
But from there, USC had a counter for every Anteater basket, and UCI drew no closer than 17 in the second half, after which USC outscored the visitors 27-9. UCI was outrebounded 42-34 and shot just 33.8 percent from the floor, including a 4-for-19 mark from 3-point range.
“It’s hard to come away from this performance with any kind of good feeling,” Turner said in his postgame radio interview. “We weren’t really ever able to get our footing defensively or on the glass. We didn’t do anything at all, I don’t think, to dictate the game with our defense. When we’ve won games against power conference teams, we’ve been able to do that. I’m surprised that we’re showing no ability yet to do that for extended periods of time.”Meanwhile, Evan Mobley continues to impress.
“I get more comfortable every single time I step on the floor,” the 7-footer said. “Every single day I work on the (3-point shot). I feel like it’s paying off in the games.”
The freshman’s favorite stat? His blocked shots.
“I just try to be active on defense,” he said. “Anytime they drive, just try to alter their shots.”
UP NEXT
UC Irvine’s next scheduled game is Dec. 17 at Loyola Marymount.
USC hosts Stanford on Sunday in the Trojans’ Pac-12 opener.
That was fun, @USC_Hoops!
The reigning #Pac12Hoops Freshman of the Week @evan_mobley7 and brother @MobleyIsaiah racked up a combined 31 points in the Trojans' 91-56 win over UC Irvine. pic.twitter.com/3NPC0dUeSS
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) December 9, 2020
EVAN MOBLEY WITH AUTHORITY!
: @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/Af3CW4zgJK
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 9, 2020
SNIPERRRR!@NoahBaumann20 is 3-for-3 from 3!
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 9, 2020
Fast break slam by @DrewPeterson23!
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 9, 2020
First dunk of the night for @evan_mobley7!
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 9, 2020
https://goo.gl/hYDEHJ
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