San Juan, PR (Sportsbooks) - Taj Gibson poured in 17 points and added nine rebounds as 19th-ranked USC bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 73-46 win over Chattanooga in the second round of the Puerto Rico Tip- Off Classic. Dwight Lewis had 16 points, DeMar DeRozan added 13 points and six boards while Daniel Hackett had 10 points and seven assists for the Trojans (3-1), who bounced back from Thursday's 63-61 loss to Seton Hall. Nicchaeus Doaks had 14 points and 12 boards and Stephen McDowell donated 10 points for the Mocs (0-4), who have lost their four games this season by an average of 26.5 points. Trailing early in the first half, USC ripped off 11 straight points and held a 16-6 lead on two free throws from DeRozan with a bit over 15 minutes left in the first half. Another nine straight points from the Trojans extended the lead to 16 points, but the Mocs countered with seven unanswered points. USC eventually took a 39-29 lead into the locker room thanks to scoring 16 points off of nine Chattanooga turnovers. The Trojans scored the first seven points of the second half and held a 46-29 lead after Gibson made one-of-two from the line. USC led by as many as 27 points in the final 20 minutes on its way to the easy victory. Game Notes This was the first ever meeting between these two schools...USC shot 44.1 percent from the floor while Chattanooga made just 26.8 percent (15-for-56) of its shots...USC controlled the glass, 44-28. |
