Good, Bad And Ugly From USC's Bounce-Back Win vs. San Diego

The USC Trojans men's basketball team earned a bounce-back 94-81 road win over the San Diego Toreros. After a sluggish start to the game, the Trojans' offense came alive in the second half. Here are the biggest takeaways from the win.

Mar 1, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts to the action in the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

After suffering their first loss of the season at home against the Washington Huskies, the USC men’s basketball team traveled down the California coast to face the San Diego Toreros. USC coach Eric Musselman was looking to earn a win against his alma mater on the road, and the Trojans did just that.

Following a first-half struggle, the Trojans outscored San Diego 56-43 coming out of halftime to earn a 94-81 bounce-back win over the Toreros. With the win, the Trojans improve to 9-1 on the season and move to 2-0 in games away from the Galen Center. Here are the biggest takeaways from USC's bounce-back road win over San Diego.

USC's Struggles With Turnovers In Win

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

From the opening tip, the Trojans struggled to take care of the basketball, which allowed San Diego to gain momentum and capitalize offensively in the first half. USC committed a total of 13 turnovers in the first half, including nine in the first ten minutes of the game, which frustrated Musselman.

The Trojans' turnover issues improved during their dominant second-half performance, but they still finished with a season-high 21 turnovers in the win over San Diego. As the Trojans prepare to return home to face a former Pac-12 foe, the Washington State Cougars, they will need to take better care of the basketball, especially as the heat of Big Ten conference play approaches.

Ezra Ausar Lights a Spark For USC's Offense In Second Half

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Ezra Ausar (2) is greeted by forward Jacob Cofie (6) and guard Rodney Rice (1) during the second half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

With the game knotted up at 38 going into halftime, USC came out of the second half strong as forward Ezra Ausar lit a spark for USC's offense, leading the way during an 18-2 Trojans scoring run and scoring 22 second-half points.

Ausar scored nine of his points from the free throw line, as he attacked in transition and drew fouls. Ausar finished the game with a career-high 29 points, while shooting 10-of-12 from the field, before fouling out late in the game.

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Entering Tuesday night’s matchup against San Diego, the Trojans ranked second in the country in free throws per game averaging 31.0 per game. USC has found success on offense this season by getting to the free-throw line, a strategy that the Trojans hope to continue to capitalize on moving forward. In the win against San Diego, the Trojans went 27-of-35 from the free-throw line.

Chad Baker-Mazara Continues To Dominate For USC

Nov 26, 2025; Lahaina, HI, USA; USC Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) reacts after the Trojans defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the championship match at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

In addition to Ausar's dominant second-half performance, USC's leading scorer, guard Chad Baker-Mazara, continued his impressive 20-point scoring streak this season in Tuesday night's win. Baker-Mazara has now scored 20 or more points in four straight games for USC, which started in the Trojans' 88-75 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Maui Invitational Championship game.

Baker-Mazara led the Trojans in scoring with 31 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while shooting an efficient 10-of-12 from the field, including knocking down five three-pointers. Baker-Mazara also continued to make his presence known on the defensive end, recording one steal and blocking three shots with great transition defense.

With the Trojans looking to continue making a case as one of the underrated teams in the Big Ten, Baker-Mazara's leadership will play a key role in USC competing in the conference and reaching its goal of making the NCAA Tournament in its second season under Musselman.