At the end of a long, emotional week, USC’s basketball staff emerged one by one from the Galen Center tunnel just before tip Tuesday, relieved as ever to be back home. Days earlier, as wildfires ravaged their newly adopted city, the team was 2,000 miles away, stuck first in a southern Indiana hotel then in a similar one in Illinois, reduced to following helplessly along on their phones.
The uncertainty made for an unnerving few nights. USC assistant coach Quincy Pondexter couldn’t be sure at first whether his home in Pasadena survived the Eaton fire. Family of assistant coach Will Conroy evacuated, as did the girlfriend of USC’s director of basketball operations Caleb Cline. Everyone was on edge.
Somehow, with that weight still heavy on their shoulders, the Trojans managed to earn their first ranked road win in 15 years. They’d fly home the next day to find their families safe and their homes still fortunately intact. And by Tuesday night, as USC’s offense came alive in a 99-89 victory over Iowa, it was clear they’d found more than just emotional respite upon their collective return to L.A.
That return would feature some of the best basketball the Trojans have played to date under Eric Musselman. At least, on one side of the ball. A surging USC offense shot an impressive 65% from the floor, with three scorers tallying at least 20 points, while its effort on the glass was relentless, as USC outrebounded Iowa, 37-20.
Iowa, one of the best shooting teams in college basketball, still wouldn’t bow out quietly. Trailing by 19 at one point, with less than 11 minutes remaining, the Hawkeyes managed to cut the Trojans’ lead to just five in under six minutes.
Wesley Yates was in the middle of his best game yet as a Trojan when he bricked two free throws to let Iowa climb back within striking distance. The freshman had barely missed from anywhere on the court to that point. At one juncture, he hit four consecutive shots from three-point range.
But as Iowa made its last stand, with those missed free throws still on his mind, Yates knifed through the lane for a lay-in to stop the bleeding, finishing out a performance that netted the freshman a season-high 21 points.
Desmond Claude, fresh off his own career-best game, would lead the charge in closing out Iowa from there, knocking down four critical free throws to keep the Hawkeyes at bay. Claude would finish with 25, giving him a stunning 56 points over the Trojans’ past two games.
Saint Thomas would join the Trojans’ two guards with his own standout performance, as USC’s do-everything wing scored 24 points while adding nine rebounds and seven assists.
From the start Tuesday, it seemed that USC might run away with a win in its emotional return home, riding the momentum it first seized in Champaign a week earlier. The Galen Center crowd even rose to its feet for an ovation just before halftime, with the Trojans leading by 16 points and looking primed to push that lead even further.
It didn’t quite work out that smoothly, with the Trojans forced to hold on late, ending their triumphant return home with an offensive flourish.