Montana State University
5-6,0-0Big Sky
USC
7-4,1-1Big Ten
USC Downs Montana State in Los Angeles
12/15/2024 8:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Trojans take early control in 89-63 defeat for the Bobcats
LOS ANGELES – Montana State men's basketball dropped the first leg of a five-game road trip on Sunday night, falling 89-63 to USC at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
The Bobcats (5-6, 0-0 Big Sky) got behind early and couldn't claw their way back to contention on a tough shooting night, finishing 20 of 61 from the field (32.8%).
USC (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) jumped out to an 18-2 lead, forcing MSU into turnovers that allowed the Trojans to use their athleticism and get out on the break.
USC led 27-5 ten minutes into the first half, with their pressure defense helping cause Montana State to miss 24 of their first 30 shots.
"First you have to credit USC," head coach Matt Logie said. "They came out with tremendous energy and pressured us well at the beginning of the game. We missed a couple shots at the rim and then just couldn't really get our footing. We certainly can play much better than we played tonight, and USC was a big part of that."
Brandon Walker paced Montana State with 14 points and four rebounds, while Jeremiah Davis scored a career-high 11 points off the bench in his return home to southern California.
Jed Miller, a native of nearby Agoura Hills, scored seven points off the bench.
USC dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Montana State 25-8 in the first half and finishing the game with a 49-22 advantage in that department.
USC held Montana State to just 21 points in the first half, their lowest output in any half this season, and led 47-21 at the break.
Montana State matched USC 42-42 in the second half, but the early damage was too much to overcome.
"Our goal in the second half was to win the second half and we came out of that tied," Logie said. "We just didn't execute well enough, didn't do our jobs well enough, and we weren't prepared for their pressure well enough. There's a lot of areas for all of us to grow."
12 Bobcats played between ten and 21 minutes as the visitors cycled through rotations in an attempt to find answers to USC's physical challenge.
"The biggest thing we were trying to do in the second half was just play like Montana State," Logie said. "Move the ball, do our jobs defensively, and be disciplined on the scout-specific things. That's what got us in the hole in the first place. I thought our response was solid but obviously we came here to compete and win. When you go on the road to compete against tough teams, you have to start well, and those first four to eight minutes we just couldn't get our engine going."
Desmond Claude led USC with 19 points, while former Northern Colorado standout Saint Thomas finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
"We've got to learn quickly the lessons from this and get prepared for UC Riverside," Logie said.
UP NEXT
Montana State stays in California and will face UC Riverside on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT.
The Cats won a thriller against the Highlanders in Bozeman last year, 69-68.
Wednesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
#GoCatsGo
