Evan Mobley caught the ball at the top of the arc and dribbled in. The 7-foot phenom drew the defense, as he usually does, and created an opening for his older brother, Isaiah. Evan bounced the ball to the baseline and Isaiah leaped, up over 7-foot-4 Washington center Riley Sorn, and slammed the ball home.
Seventeen minutes into the game and the USC men’s basketball team was finally done playing with its food.
The dunk was the highlight of an 18-4 run by USC to close the first half, a stretch that took the 20th-ranked Trojans from down four to on their way to a 69-54 victory over Washington in Seattle, their 11th win in their last 12 games.
“Our starters came back in the game and they played like they wanted to take the lead at halftime,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “I thought that was a very, very impressive seven-minute stretch.”
It was the elder Mobley who led the Trojans (16-3 overall, 10-2 Pac-12), playing in their first game as a ranked team since 2017. The sophomore forward took USC’s first four shots and finished with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.
“I was really proud of him,” Enfield said. “His offensive rebounding, his toughness inside, and he’s becoming one of the best big man defenders in our league.”
Seven of Mobley’s rebounds were of the offensive variety as USC grabbed 13 of them to produce 12 second-chance points. At the start of the Trojans’ fateful first-half run, Mobley secured an offensive rebound on three straight possessions.
Those extra possessions were critical as USC shot 5 for 15 from the floor to start the game. Washington (3-15, 2-11) kept USC off the 3-point line, where the Trojans thrived in last week’s victory over rival UCLA, and forced USC into less-efficient mid-range shots.
USC didn’t hit its first 3-pointer until late in the second half, instead relying on 46 points in the paint.
“We’re an inside-outside, inside-game offense first. That’s where our big guys are hard to stop,” Enfield said. “Tonight, we didn’t have it going from the perimeter but we made enough plays.”
Reserve forward Chevez Goodwin provided nine first-half points to keep the Trojans afloat as Washington built an early lead, scoring a variety of ways from soft hooks to a no-funny-business dunk.
“It’s nice to have a true post player who can score with his back to the basket like Chevez can,” Enfield said. “He’s just an energetic, very tough young man.”
But the USC offense found its footing just as its defense put the clamps on Washington, holding the Huskies to 2-for-7 shooting with four turnovers to finish the first half.
It was enough for a 10-point halftime lead, and Washington only got within single digits once in the second half as the Trojans held UW’s leading scorer, Quade Green (16 points), to two second-half points.
After holding UCLA to 48 points in an 18-point victory last weekend, USC limited Washington to its second-lowest point total in conference play this season. The Huskies had just eight made field goals and nine turnovers in the second half.
“Defensively, we were very good. I think you saw that midway through the first half into the second half, we challenged every shot made them shoot a low percentage,” Enfield said. “Then we dominated the paint on offense. This team, it starts with the defensive end.”
The Huskies became the sixth straight team USC has held under 70 points. USC entered the night with the second-best scoring defense in the conference, allowing less than 64 points per game. On top of that, the undersized Huskies couldn’t contain a USC offense that was as balanced as it’s been all season. USC outscored Washington 46-22 in the paint and held a 41-24 advantage in rebounds.
Evan Mobley scored a game-high 17 points to go with three blocked shots, Goodwin and Eaddy both scored in double-digits and Isaiah White added nine points.
Combined with the energy Isaiah Mobley provided, it was enough for USC to win and, combined with UCLA’s loss to Washington State, take sole possession of first place in the Pac-12.
BEST START
USC’s 10-2 start in conference play is its best since 1992 when the Harold Miner-led Trojans went 15-3 in the Pac-10.
