The USC Trojans defeated the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA men’s tournament, 72-56, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday.
The Trojans were led into battle by forward brothers Evan and Isaiah Mobley, who combined for 32 of USC’s 72 points. In addition to the pair, guard Tahj Eaddy had 9 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Drake Sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu led the Bulldogs with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. He was the only Drake player to put up double-digit points.
First Half
Although USC led for most of the first half, Drake battled early on. Yesufu had 11 of Drake’s first 13 points and made all four of his first three-point attempts. Drake’s first lead would not come until an and-one layup by forward ShanQuan Hemphill with 8:09 left in the half. However, the Trojans were only able to put 6 points between them and the Bulldogs before halftime. Drake would finish the first half with 10 total fouls but outrebounded USC in the first half 19-15 and shot 55% from the three-point range.
Despite Drake’s best efforts, USC controlled the pace of the first half. Evan Mobley shot 5-7 from the field and went into halftime with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and a stellar 3 blocks. The Trojans’ biggest struggle in the first half would come at the charity stripe, making merely 3 out of 9 free throw attempts. Fluid passing led to 11 assists for the Trojans in the first, 6 of them coming from Eaddy.
Second Half
The Bulldogs began to fall apart in the second half, shooting a dismal 18.9% from the field and 14.3% from the three-point range. After shooting the lights out in the first half, Yesufu would only make 2 of his 10 shots and would have Drake’s only three-point makes in the second half. The Bulldogs did not lead once in the second half, but guard Garret Sturtz would finish the second half with 3 steals and 3 rebounds.
The Trojans continued to control the game in the second half, allowing only 3 points in the first 7 minutes while scoring 11 points of their own. Isaiah Mobley led USC in the second half with 11 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 4-5 from the field. The Trojans finished with 7 total blocks and ended the game, shooting 50% from the field and a 33% 3PT.
Up Next
The Trojans will face 3-seeded Kansas Jayhawks on Monday, March 22.
