BERKELEY, Calif. — Jacob Cofie played all 40 minutes and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Alijah Arenas scored a game-high 19 points as No. 21 USC beat California 77-65 on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion in the Trojans’ first road game of the season.
Cofie finished with 13 points and a career-high six assists to go with his career-high-tying rebound total. The junior forward anchored the frontcourt with starters Adonis and Darius Ratliff limited to nine combined minutes by foul trouble. Jadis Jones added 11 rebounds and two blocks off the bench, helping USC (3-0) outrebound Cal 53-36. The 53 rebounds were the Trojans’ most in a game under coach Eric Musselman.
Arenas shot 8 of 16 and added seven rebounds, while Rodney Rice scored 18 points and made all six of his free throws. Both guards reached double figures for the third straight game. KJ Lewis added a season-high 16 points.
Cal (2-2) forced three early turnovers and went ahead 9-2 behind five quick points from Sammie Yeanay. Rice scored USC’s first five points, and the Trojans took their first lead at 21-20 with 8:06 left in the first half. Arenas and Rice each had nine points by halftime as USC built a nine-point lead.
The Golden Bears opened the second half with a 6-0 run to get within three and used a 7-0 spurt later in the half to trim a double-digit deficit. USC held Cal to 4-of-23 shooting from 3-point range after the Bears entered the game shooting 44% from beyond the arc. Arenas hit a 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining to push the lead back to 13.
Yeanay led Cal with 14 points, and Nojus Indrusaitis added 13 points and six rebounds. It was USC’s first win at Haas Pavilion since November 2022 and, according to the school, its first true road win against a power-conference opponent in nonconference play since an overtime victory at Vanderbilt in 2017.
USC opens a three-game homestand against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 4 p.m. Sunday at Galen Center. The game will stream on B1G+.