Rutgers Basketball surges late, comes up just short against USC Trojans

Rutgers Basketball lost for the fifth time in as many games, falling to the USC Trojans by a score of 78-75 on Saturday night in Los Angeles. The loss brings the Scarlet Knights to 9-13 overall and 2-9 in Big Ten conference play. The Trojans improve to 16-6, and 5-6 in conference games with the victory.

Tariq Francis continues to lead the way for the Scarlet Knights, scoring 26 points and tallying five assists off the bench. Dylan Grant recorded his fourth double-double of the season, and first in conference play, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Harun Zrno put in a trio of three-pointers.

Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie fueled the Trojans in the frontcourt. Ausar put up 21 points and added seven rebounds. Cofie recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Chad Baker-Mazara scored 17, and came up with the game-sealing defensive play at the buzzer.

Pressure, tempo grows Trojans’ first half lead

In a season filled with various lineup changes, Rutgers opted to roll out the same starting five for the third consecutive game. Unfortunately, unlike their last game against Michigan State, they got off to yet another slow start.

USC opened up the game on an 18-6 run, thanks to some heavy ball pressure and fast-paced offense. Rutgers struggled to get started on offense until Francis put in a pair of jumpers halfway through the first half.

The Scarlet Knights scored 24 points in the last 11 minutes of the first half, but struggled to string together any stops and encroach on the Trojans’ lead. There was a five minute stretch where the Trojans put in six straight field goals.

In the closing sequence of the first half, with a chance to get within six points, Emmanuel Ogbole missed a baseline dunk. A turnaround jumper from Cofie in the lane would grow the deficit back to double figures.

The Trojans would maintain a 10-point lead, despite not connecting on any three-point attempts, heading into the break.

Perimeter shots bury the Scarlet Knights

It was another slow start out of the locker room for Rutgers.

USC dominated the paint in the first half, scoring 24 points and connecting on 10 of 13 shots at the rim. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, perimeter shots began to fall for the Trojans to open the second half.

Freshman Alijah Arenas connected on a pair of three-pointers, and Baker-Mazara put in his first to fuel an 11-2 Trojans run. The Scarlet Knights deficit ballooned to 19.

Comeback attempt comes up just short

Trailing by 19 coming out of the under-16 timeout of the second half, the Scarlet Knights started to rally.

Francis continued to fill it up for Rutgers, and Lino Mark connected on his first two career three-pointers to trim the deficit to single digits with over 10 minutes to play.

Powers banked in a deep three, and Grant got to the foul line to cut the lead down to as few as eight. USC got to the free throw line, and the offense started to run dry for the Rutgers. With just over four minutes to play, the Trojans’ lead was back up to 17.

The Scarlet Knights put together a furious rally late, but did not have enough to overcome the massive deficit. They would close the game on a 18-4 run, and have an opportunity to send the game into overtime with a three-pointer.

With just over five seconds remaining, Francis got the ball off a miss, but would get it deflected at midcourt by Baker-Mazara, preserving the USC victory.

Up next

Rutgers will remain in Los Angeles for their next matchup on Tuesday night, as they take on the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. The game will tipoff at 9:30 PM EST and be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.