USC Hosts Northridge in Home Opener
USC will host the Northridge Matadors in their home opener on Tuesday night, and look to bounce back from a 78-65 loss to Utah State. This is the first of a four game home stance for USC, and head coach Andy Enfield first game at the Galen Center.
The Trojans dropped their first game on the road, but got strong efforts from starters Omar Oraby and Byron Wesley who each scored 15 points each. Oraby added nine rebounds to his point total, while Wesley added eight rebounds and four assists. Senior guard J.T. Terrell put on a big performance leading all scorers with 20 points.
USC looks to address their offensive struggles before Tuesday night, especially from behind the arc. Versus Utah State, USC was 4-24 from the 3-point line, shooting just 16.7 percent. Ball movement was also an issue as the Trojans only posted 12 assists on the night.
While the Trojans are in rebuilding mode, Enfield looks to establish the same high-tempo style that worked so well at Florida Gulf Coast.
Unfortunately, a win at the Galen Center will not come so easy. Northridge is coming off a 86-74 win over Hope International, and set a school record with a .970 shooting percentage from the free throw line. The Matadors hit 32 of 33 free throws erasing the previous school record of .944 shooting. Junior forward Stephen Maxwell was 11 for 11 from the free throw line and became the 16th player in the school's history to be perfect from the free throw line in a game.
The Trojans will also need to prepare for the Matadors play maker senior guard Josh Greene. During their victory over Hope International Greene hit a pair of free throws to give him 1,000 points during his four-year career at Northridge. His 1,006 career points places him 15th on the all scoring list for Northridge passing Ollie Carter.
USC will have to play strong defense and limit turnovers. Aside from being perfect in free throws, Northridge scored 43 points in the paint, and scored 26 points off of turnovers.
USC looks to end its losing streak early with a win over the Northridge Matadors. The game tips off at 8:00 P.M. and will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.
