Drew Peterson scored 21 points, Boogie Ellis added 15 points and a career-high seven steals, and USC rebounded from an opening-night loss by blowing out visiting Alabama State 96-58 on Thursday in Los Angeles.
One game removed from struggling to score 61 points in a loss to Florida Gulf Coast, the Trojans (1-1) had no such issues on Thursday.
Peterson set the tone in the Trojans’ 48-point first half, shooting 3-of-3 from the floor and dishing out five assists. Peterson finished with six assists to match teammate Kobe Johnson for a game high.
Ellis also passed out four assists to contribute to USC posting its highest point total since scoring 98 against Utah Tech last Nov. 22. Thursday’s 38-point margin of victory was USC’s highest since a 40-point rout of Cal State Northridge to open 2021-22.
Five Trojans scored in double-figures: Josh Morgan finished with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, and Reese Dixon-Waters added 13 points, aided by 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.
USC went 11-of-23 from deep as a team, with Peterson going 3 of 5.
Malik Thomas came off the bench to score 10 points, rounding out USC’s double-figure scorers. Tre White chipped in eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in reserve duty.
Alabama State (0-2) won the battle of points off the bench, however, outscoring the Trojans 35-29. Duane Posey led the Hornets with 12 points, while fellow reserve Christian McCray added 10 points on 5-of-6 from the floor.
It was an otherwise dismal offensive night for Alabama State, which shot just 22-of-66 from the field — including 5-of-20 from 3-point range, 2-of-10 in the second half — and committed 20 turnovers.
The USC lead expanded to as many as 46 points late in the second half.
–Field Level Media