LOS ANGELES – The USC Trojans secured their 14th victory, with Chibuzo Agbo scoring 21 points, as they defeated Penn State 92-67 on Tuesday night at the Galen Center.
Agbo delivered an outstanding performance, making a career-high by sinking seven three-pointers out of nine attempts during the game. His accuracy from beyond the arc gave his team confidence on the court, especially for Agbo, considering he had been dealing with the flu in the days leading up to the game.
After an arduous road trip for the Trojans, where they lost to Purdue and Northwestern, they return to Los Angeles and hand Penn State their twelfth loss of the season, dropping to 3-11 in conference play.
Although most of the USC team was suffering from the flu, Coach Eric Musselman stated before the game that his players would fight through it, reminding them of Michael Jordan’s legendary flu game.
Wesley Yates III was dealing with flu-like symptoms, making him a game-time decision for Coach Musselman. Despite his condition, he played exceptionally well. In the first half, he broke his nose after being hit, which caused him to leave the game temporarily due to excessive bleeding. However, he later returned to help his team, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while shooting a perfect two for two from beyond the arc.
Musselman emphasized that this was a must-win game, but due to several players dealing with illness, he canceled the shootaround on Tuesday morning in an effort to prepare his team for the matchup against Penn State.
Desmond Claude made a strong comeback on Tuesday night after missing the last two games on the road due to a bruised knee, which had been swollen for the past week. Coach Musselman mentioned that the injury was expected to keep him out for at least a few weeks, so it was impressive that he returned after just one week.
“Credit to the player and credit to the medical staff in getting him ready,” coach Musselman said.
He scored 16 points, recorded eight assists, and grabbed three rebounds in 35 minutes of play. As the leader of the team, Claude's presence is crucial; the Trojans struggled offensively in the two games they played without him.
Josh Cohen started at center and played the most minutes he has since his appearance in a game against Idaho State back in November. He was very aggressive on the court, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. Coach Musselman discussed their game plan, which involved using pump fakes to draw fouls against Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who leads the Big Ten in blocks.
Niederhauser fouled out in just 11 minutes of play. Cohen effectively executed the game plan by pump-faking three to four times until Niederhauser left his feet. This strategy proved to be brilliant for Musselman as they aimed to protect their home court. Cohen's minutes have been limited this season, but he has a lot to prove as he gains more confidence from the coaching staff.
“My playing time is up to me,” Cohen said.
Cohen discussed his transition after the game, reflecting on his experience as a consistent starter last season at UMass and the uncertainty he faced regarding playing time upon joining USC this year. He was the first player from the transfer portal this past offseason to commit to playing for Musselman this season.
“I guess I’ve taken a different role this year than past years,” Cohen said. “Just being a guy that can be an everyday guy, just to help the team in any way I can.”
The Nittany Lions struggled to contain the 'Muss Bus' as Ace Baldwin Jr. led the way with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds, playing a game-high 35 minutes. D'Marco Dunn and Zach Hicks each contributed 10 points for Penn State. However, Hicks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2 of 9, while Dunn was 1 of 5. As a result, the team finished the game with a shooting percentage of just 26.9%.
The Trojans (14-10, 6-7) are preparing to host Minnesota (12-12, 4-9) on Saturday afternoon at the Galen Center. The Golden Gophers have won two of their last five games, averaging 69 points per game. In comparison, USC has been scoring an average of 76.4 points per game this season.