LOS ANGELES, CA — The USC Trojans Men’s Basketball squad’s offense has come alive to open up the 2025-26 season, as for the second straight game at the Galen Center, they dismantle their opponent, this time the Manhattan Jaspers, by a final score of 114-83. Those 114 points scored are the most points scored by the men’s squad since 1990.
The Trojans were riding the hot hand of Chad Baker-Mazara as he notched himself 20 first-half points on 5-9 shooting and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Freshman Terrance Williams II followed suit behind Baker-Mazara, scoring 10 points in the first half on 3-7 shooting and three rebounds.
“I thought it was a breakout game from him,” Head Coach Eric Musselman said on Baker-Mazara’s performance. “He was jumping up and down, and I didn’t know he was one point from a career-high, but he knew. How he knew, I don’t really know.”
Though he slowed down the production quite a bit since he was subject to early foul trouble, Baker-Mazara would end this game scoring a team-best 26 points on 7-13 shooting and 7 boards to his credit. For the senior forward, it seemed as though every time he touched the ball, all he thought about was making it through the hoop, which he did 53% of the time.
“I just started the game with a good rhythm, and I was in a good state of mind,” Baker-Mazara said in terms of what felt different this game en route to a career performance. “The boys kept being in my ear, saying we know you haven’t been playing your best couple of games, but we believe in you and just keep being you.”
Offensively, the Trojans did not miss a step at all this game, shooting 50% from the floor by the time the clock hit zero. Along with a career day from Baker-Mazara, senior Ezra Ausar tallied 17 points on 7-10 shooting, and junior guard Rodney Rice scored 14 points on 6-15 from the floor.
En route to the landslide win, a total of seven Trojans scored double-digit points.
The Trojans now focus on their game next Friday against the Illinois State Redbirds, but it will be held at a new venue, the recently opened Intuit Dome for the Experian Hall of Fame Series.
