This is the Daniel Utomi who helped complete USC's offseason roster puzzle -- the versatile, sharp-shooting guard from Akron who filled a pressing perimeter needs for the Trojans.
It's been a process getting to this point, though.
USC was again without leading scorer and rebounder Onyeka Okongwu (concussion protocol), but it didn't matter Saturday evening as Utomi scored a season-high 23 points with a season-best five 3-pointers as the Trojans cruised comfortably to a 70-51 win over Washington State inside Galen Center.
USC (19-7, 8-5) kept pace in the Pac-12, remaining at the most a game back of first place depending on results still to come this weekend from conference co-leaders Colorado and Oregon.
Washington State (14-12, 5-8) has had a tough season, just like USC's opponent two days earlier, Washington. But this week was more about the Trojans and how they would respond after their first three-game losing streak, which was largely a function of self-inflicted setbacks.
And how they would respond without Okongwu.
On Thursday night, it was seniors Nick Rakocevic and Jonah Mathews, and this time it was the grad transfer Utomi leading the way. He finished 8 of 15 from the field and 5 of 10 from 3-point range while topping 20 points for just the second time this season -- but also the second time in the last four games.
"Daniel's playing at a very high level right now. He had an off game against Washington shooting the ball -- he took good shots, just missed them. Three out of the last four games we've been able to isolate him in the mid-post and also from the 3-point line. He's very efficient with the basketball, he doesn't turn the ball over a lot," USC coach Andy Enfield said. "… He's a tough matchup because he's so efficient offensively -- doesn't do anything spectacular, just faces up on you or backs you down. When he's making shots like this, he's really hard to guard."
Again, that was the plan all along -- the extra ingredient this USC roster needed during the offseason overhaul. The team was going to have plenty of size with Rakocevic and freshmen Isaiah Mobley and Okongwu. And while point guard was a question, the Trojans had several options there. What they didn't have another 3-point shooting threat to pair with Mathews.
And for a while this season, they still didn't have that.
Utomi finished in single-digits scoring in nine of the first 10 games, including three scoreless performances. He was just 4 of 22 from 3-point range over the first nine games before starting to show signs of an uptick from the outside.
Then a few games into the conference season, Enfield moved Utomi into the starting lineup in place of Elijah Weaver. Weaver soon settled into the sixth-man role, and Utomi started building toward the breakout he's had in recent games.
"To me I think it was just all mental, starting to try to find my role, like trying to get comfortable and stuff," Utomi said Saturday night. "But luckily I got through that and we're going to keep it rolling now."
He has been a streaky player much of the season, but he's certainly playing his best basketball of late.
Utomi dropped 22 points at Arizona last week, including hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers. He followed with 15 at Arizona State, overcoming a rough shooting night (1 of 6 from 3-point range) by earning 6 points from the line and using the versatility his size and strength allows for inside. As Enfield noted, Utomi was off last game vs. Washington, going 0 of 6 from long range and finishing with 7 points. So he's still plenty streaky, but there seems to be a different confidence about him throughout the good nights and the others.
"He started out the year struggling from the field and the 3-point line, wasn't shooting the ball well. But now he's really turned it around," Enfield said. "He's in the starting lineup, he feels more comfortable, he knows he's one of the go-to guys when we need a basket, and he just has to play within the flow in the offense."
Said Utomi: "It's been really simple -- my life I've always been able to shoot the ball. If I just shoot the ball and shoot well it opens a lot for a lot of people, so I'll just continue to do that."
USC actually fell behind 8-0 early in the game as Washington State got early 3s from Jervae Robinson and CJ Elleby. Enfield promptly called timeout to reiterate the defensive game plan of contesting every 3 for a team that relied on its perimeter scoring.
"We had to call a timeout and [discuss] our effort. They made two 3s and they only made four for the game. In fact, they made their fourth with 30 seconds left so that means they made the first two they took and went 1 for their next 24," Enfield said. "They weren't going to beat us inside. The only way they could beat us was from the 3-point line, and here we give two 3s to Elleby and Robinson, who all they do is shoot 3s. That was a message -- if you guys want to win this game, you've got to be a little more intense than what you're playing right now."
Washington State actually missed 21 straight 3-pointers after hitting 3 of its first 6.
Meanwhile, Mobley added some perspective on that Enfield timeout.
"He was a little animated. Honestly, he told us right before we went out there, 'I don't want them to have a 10-point lead right away and have to call a timeout.' Luckily it was 8," Mobley said, drawing laughs from reporters. "Yeah, we've just got to make sure we come out with energy, create our own energy here and places on the road."
That wasn't a problem the rest of the way.
Point guard Ethan Anderson chipped in 12 points and 5 assists, Weaver added 11 off the bench, Mobley had 9 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks and Rakocevic had 6 points and 10 boards.
It was tied 17-17 with 7:57 left in the first half when Mobley limped off the court after rolling his ankle. It was the last thing USC needed with Okongwu already out. Mobley would soon return after being treated by the training staff, but in the meantime the Trojans took control of the game.
Rakocevic threw down a dunk on a smooth bounce pass from Quinton Adlesh, Marvin Cannon tied it back up for the Cougars, and then Anderson finished an alley-oop layup from Utomi and Utomi followed a few possessions later with a 3-pointer to give the Trojans a 24-19 lead. They'd never trail again after that spurt.
Utomi scored USC's next four points as well as the lead grew and Mobley scored in the paint in the final minute to push it to 30-21 entering halftime.
Then the Trojans truly broke the game open.
They were up 11 early in the second half when Utomi drained a fastbreak 3, Anderson made a layup, Rakocevic scored in the pain and Anderson hit a fastbreak 3 of his own to push the lead to 44-24.
Utomi later hit 3-pointers from both corners on back-to-back possessions to make it 53-36 as the Trojans rolled from there.
"We thought this was a huge week for us coming off the two tough road losses -- where we played hard but we lost to two good teams on their home court, two close games. And then our best player gets hurt," Enfield said. "I shouldn't say our best player -- I should say our leading scorer, our leading rebounder and our leading shot blocker because we have a lot of players that step up and our best player is game to game. But losing a guy like O is very hard. …
"We told our guys, this is an opportunity for everybody else. Kyle [Sturdivant] is not here, O's not here, we have eight players and you need to do something about it, and they did."
USC now goes on the road for a tough swing through Colorado and Utah next week.
"Obviously we want to win the Pac-12 and we want to set ourselves up to go to the tournament," Mobley said. "We think we have both the talent and the experience … to do that and make a run in the tournament. That's our goal and we know winning the Pac-12 will help us get there."
Notes
-Enfield praised Mobley's play -- especially on the defensive end -- the last two games while replacing the void left by Okongwu's absence. Mobley tied his season-high with his 11 rebounds Saturday.
-Mobley and Enfield commented on the ankle injury that sent the freshman forward to the locker room in the first half.
"On the rebound I landed on Weaver's foot and my ankle kind of buckled," Mobley said. "It hurt right away, but after the doctors taped me up and stuff in the back and gave me some meds, it was all right, I could finish the game."
Enfield said: "We thought it was a little worse. I think he's going to be very sore tomorrow. Hopefully [with] a couple days of therapy and icing, he should hopefully be ready for next week."
-Okongwu is still day-to-day while going through the concussion protocol. "We're hoping to have him back for our next game," Enfield said.
-Freshman Drake London, who has been out with illness, played for the first time since Jan. 5 against Washington. He logged 2 minutes later in the game, grabbing 2 rebounds and missing his only free throw attempt.
