Mobley Bros Help USC Beat ASU to Complete Road Sweep of Desert Schools
USC needed the Mobley brothers to take advantage of their size against an undersized Arizona State team, and they did just that. Evan Mobley scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Isaiah Mobley had 12 points and 10 boards. They both notched double-doubles in the Trojans 73-64 win over the Sun Devils in Tempe.
This was USC's first road sweep of both Arizona schools since the 1984-1985 season and with the victory, the Trojans also won their first two conference road games for the first time since they beat both Oregon schools in 2007.
USC led 62-61 with 1:54 left in the game when Evan Mobley drove and kicked out a beautiful pass to find Drew Peterson for the three from the wing to give the Trojans a four-point lead, and then the defense did their thing.
Peterson would get one of his three blocks on the night, swatting away Alonzo Verge Jr.'s three-point attempt to all but seal the deal for USC.
The Trojans dominated the boards, grabbing 50 rebounds compared to ASU's 30. The team also played great overall defense as they finished with 12 blocks on the night. Evan Mobley was a defensive anchor yet again, blocking six shots to add to his stuffed stat sheet.
"Evan [Mobley] has long arms and great timing. He played a complete basketball game tonight and we're very happy for him," USC head coach Andy Enfield said about his young star after the win.
USC was efficient from the free-throw line which helped them secure the win late, knocking down 26-of-32 shots from the charity stripe. Evan Mobley was a big part of that, hitting eight of his nine attempts.
He also had a great game shooting from the floor, making 9-of-11 field goal attempts. "Evan has really improved his technique. He has great arc and his follow-through has really improved," Enfield said about his Mobley's strong offensive performance.
The game was tied at 58 for nearly three minutes, when USC's Tahj Eaddy grabbed an offensive rebound as the Trojans were able to regain the lead with just over four minutes left in the game.
Enfield's team used free-throw shooting and defense to finish strong. Eaddy finished the night scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds while Peterson chipped in 11 for the Trojans backcourt.
USC dominated early in the first half, going up by as many as 18 points, when ASU stormed back right before halftime using the full-court pressure. Transfer guard Holland Woods scored and assisted on 14 straight points for the Sun Devils to cut the deficit before halftime to four. This allowed Bobby Hurley's team to stay in the game.
The second half went back and forth, as ASU took its first lead of the game 58-56 with just over seven minutes remaining, but USC fought back.
Enfield continued to show high praise for his team following the nine point win, "I thought our guys showed great composure and grinded it out defensively. The coaching staff is extremely proud of our players."
The Trojans will take on UC Riverside, Tuesday, January 12th at 6 P.M.
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