Suddenly hot-shooting Trojans roll past Cal in lopsided win
If the USC basketball team can come close to approximating this kind of outside shooting with more regularity then the lofty preseason hopes for these Trojans may well still be in play.
A USC team that has struggled from the perimeter for much of the season, hit 14 3-pointers to distance itself early and cruise to a commanding 88-56 win over Cal inside the Galen Center on Thursday night.
Daniel Utomi (17 points, 4 of 6 from 3-point range) and Jonah Mathews (19 points, 3 of 5 from 3-point range) drove the Trojans (14-3, 3-1 Pac-12) to their most convincing win of the season with their dialed-in shooting, continuing what the team can only hope is a sustainable trend.
Coming off an ugly loss at Washington a week and a half ago, the Trojans ranked 170th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (33.5 percent) and tied for 243rd in made 3s (93). But in the two games since, USC is 21 of 37 from 3-point range (56.8 percent) -- including 14 of 23 in this one.
USC has now won eight of its last nine games.
"Honestly, it felt like it started last Saturday at Pauley [Pavilion] and we just picked it up from there," Mathews said. "We really got hot that game, especially Daniel in the deep corner shots. Especially tonight, we just carried it on."
Mathews, the senior guard whose performance is pivotal to what this team can be, had a second-straight efficient shooting performance (5 of 9 from the field, 6 of 6 from the line, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists) while reaching his second-highest scoring total of the season. And Utomi, the grad transfer from Akron, set a season high in points while continuing to settle into the role the Trojans hoped he could fill all along this season.
After a slow start shooting-wise, Utomi has hit at least three 3s in four of the last seven games while shooting 15 of 32 from beyond the arc in that stretch.
Those two set the tone early Thursday night, each hitting their first 3-point attempt as the Trojans jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead. While Cal (8-9, 2-2) kept it close for a while, Utomi's 3 with just under 4 minutes remaining in the first half gave the hosts their first double-digit lead at 31-19.
Utomi went on to hit four of his 3s in the first half while helping the Trojans build a 41-25 halftime lead. And fittingly, he opened the second half with another 3 and Mathews followed a few minutes later with another of his own to make it 47-30 and help keep the margin comfortable -- as it would remain the rest of the game.
"My coach and my teammates do a very good job of putting me in the right spots. My job is to go out there and just shoot the ball," Utomi said.
Freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, and senior forward Nick Rakocevic had 9 points and 5 boards in the win.
Cal shot just 33.9 percent from the field (and 5 of 25 from 3-point range) in the loss.
USC next hosts Stanford (15-2, 4-0) on Saturday at Galen Center in a pivotal early Pac-12 showdown.
"I think Saturday should be a great crowd for us," coach Andy Enfield said. "… If you're a Trojan fan, we need you on Saturday because this is what you play for -- two very good basketball teams competing for first place in the Pac-12. We're excited to go compete."
