Cal men’s basketball squeaks win past No. 25 USC, 74-73
Three days after the Cal men’s basketball team nearly came back against No. 4 UCLA on Thursday, it had another chance to win its first road game over a top-25 team in over two years against No. 25 USC. As the Bears remained in Los Angeles and headed to the Galen Center, they were able to do just that, taking the Trojans down 74-73, in a match that was tensely fought until the very last possession.
The game was an exciting one from wire to wire, as the teams traded baskets and had five lead changes and six ties by halftime. USC won the tip and immediately got an easy layup by point guard Jordan McLaughlin. Two possessions later, the Trojans were up 5-0 after a Jabari Bird turnover followed by a Kameron Rooks missed hook shot led to free throws and a transition dunk, respectively for Nick Rakocevic.
But unlike Thursday’s tilt against the Bruins, Cal didn’t let the rough start against the Trojans hinder it for very long. A Bird jumper and a three by Ivan Rabb handed the Bears their first tie.
The Bears first half was largely characterized by offensive rebounds, in which they outnumbered USC 10-2. Those rebounds led to 12 second-chance points for Cal, compared to none for the hosts. Rabb grabbed only one of those offensive rebounds, but added four on the defensive glass to assert himself early, which was also something he was rather unsuccessful at against the Bruins. He added two baskets at the hoop ─ one dunk and one beautiful layup in which he switched hands in mid-air ─ as well as a jumper to finish the half with nine points.
“The first half we did a great job of getting on the glass,” Rabb said. “Second half, I was trying to get on there, but I got my hands on balls a few times, but it just didn’t go my way.”
Also notable was an early appearance by Don Coleman off the bench, who clearly earned more playing time after sparking a Cal comeback against the Bruins with a career-best 15 points. Coleman had a three as well as two layups ─ on one of which he drew a foul as well ─ in addition to a charge drawn to help the Bears defensively while Rabb sat.
The Trojan offense, however, was potent as well, led first by McLaughlin, who amassed seven quick points. Shortly thereafter, the Trojans were given a huge boost by Chimezie Metu, who scored 10 straight points on five consecutive possessions after missing his first four shots. Metu’s two of those shots were particularly impressive, as he hit face up jumpers over Rabb ─ Cal’s best big man defender ─ who was switched onto him.
McLaughlin capped off the half with a banked half-court three, sending the crown into a frenzy as the teams headed to the locker rooms tied at 36.
The second half was just as closely contested. Cal took an early eight-point lead at 51-43, scoring an impressive 15 points within the first five minutes of the half, including threes by Bird and Charlie Moore, as well as a three-point play on a putback dunk by Rabb.
The Trojans responded with a 10-0 run of their own with scoring from four different players to take their first lead of the half. Two shifty layups by Coleman once again gave Cal the advantage, but it didn’t last long as a Metu layup took the lead right back.
Rabb picked up his fourth foul with just under 10 minutes remaining and had to sit, but consecutive threes by Moore and Bird against a zone defense kept the Bears alive in Rabb’s absence.
USC led 67-64 with 5:55 remaining, but again, Cal bounced back with a free throw and a three pointer from Moore to tie the game two minutes later at 68.
A Rabb block at the rim led to a lead-changing Bird three with just over two minutes left. This was followed by great pick and roll defense by Moore on McLaughlin to force a turnover which the Bears couldn’t capitalize on, as they were called for a shot clock violation on the following possession.
McLaughlin missed two free throws that would have given USC the lead, but an errant outlet pass by Moore toward Coleman gave the ball back to the Trojans, down one, with just over 20 seconds remaining. McLaughlin capitalized with a layup that gave USC a 73-72 lead, but Rabb was fouled on the next play and buried both from the line.
McLaughlin tried to take the ball coast to coast on the last play with five seconds left, but Rabb avoided his fifth foul and made the game-clinching block as time expired to save the Bears and clinch their historic victory.
“(Rabb’s) one of the best in America. The way he plays, the way he competes, especially the way teams double him, the way teams go at him when we’re on defense, it just says a lot about him and his maturity,” Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin said.
Rabb finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Moore (6-8, 3-4 from three), Bird and Coleman all added double figures in the all-around effort. Metu and McLaughlin each had 20 to lead all scorers. Rabb’s notable highlight play saved the game, but more significantly, the Trojans shot 10-21 from the line, well below their season average of 74.5 percent.
Vikram Muller covers men’s basketball. Contact him at vmuller@dailycal.org.