This USC basketball team is putting a lot of pressure on itself in Pac-12 play with its lackluster non-conference showing.
The Trojans saw another opportunity slip away Saturday as No. 5 Nevada visited the Galen Center.
Actually, "slip" isn't the right word -- that infers that the the Wolf Pack doused the Trojans' upset hopes slowly. Quite the opposite.
Nevada scored 14 straight points to bookend halftime and seize total control on the way to a comfortable 73-61 win over USC, which dropped to 5-3 and has now lost all three of its games against Power-5 teams.
The Trojans led by as many as 7 points late in the first half and were up 35-29 with less than 2 minutes before halftime when the Wolf Pack (8-0) mounted its charge. Tre'Shawn Thurman drained a 3-pointer and jumper for 5 quick points to cut it to a 35-34 lead entering the break.
And that was just the beginning.
Trey Porter sank a jumper in the opening minute of the second half to put Nevada ahead and the visitors never let up from there. Jordan Caroline followed with 2 points, Caleb Martin drained a 3-pointer and then Porter backed down Nick Rakocevic before throwing down an emphatic dunk to make it a 43-35 lead and cap the 14-0 run.
USC would never recover.
Caroline made a nice move to get around Rakocevic down low, go up and under the basket and spin in a layup off the glass to make 47-37. After a Jonah Mathews 3-pointer for USC and a miss from Nevada, the Trojans might have had a chance to steal some momentum, but Rakocevic was called for a technical foul on the rebound. Porter went to the line to knock down both free throws and then Caroline worked his way to the line for 1 of 2 foul shots, making it 50-39.
When USC countered with a thunderous Bennie Boatwright dunk, Nevada answered right back with a Jazz Johnson 3. Johnson then fed Thurman on the wing for a wide-open 3 to make it a 15-point game.
And when Jordan Usher made a 3 for USC, Johnson soon answered back with another of his own. If the dagger hadn't already been delivered by that point, it came when Cody Martin scrambled for a 3 at the end of the shot clock on a broken play, making it 61-44 not even midway through the half.
Nevada would peak its lead at 19 points (65-46) and USC never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Caroline led the Wolf Pack with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Thurman added 14 points and 11 boards.
Rakocevic led USC with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks on 8-of-12 shooting. The only other Trojan in double figures, though, was Derryck Thornton with 10 points as the hosts shot just 5 of 21 from 3-point range (23.8 percent) and 4 of 8 from the foul line.
To be fair, Nevada has won all its games by at least 10 points now, so the Trojans aren't alone in their inability to contain the unbeaten Wolf Pack.
But USC has done itself no favors in losing to Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Nevada in its only notable non-conference games so far while getting its wins against the likes of Robert Morris, Stetson, Missouri State, CSU Bakersfield and Long Beach State.
The Trojans still have TCU and Oklahoma on the schedule, among major conference teams, before starting Pac-12 play.
NOTES: Freshman standout Kevin Porter Jr. played just 4 points off the bench as he continues to be slowed by a quad injury.
The Trojans saw another opportunity slip away Saturday as No. 5 Nevada visited the Galen Center.
Actually, "slip" isn't the right word -- that infers that the the Wolf Pack doused the Trojans' upset hopes slowly. Quite the opposite.
Nevada scored 14 straight points to bookend halftime and seize total control on the way to a comfortable 73-61 win over USC, which dropped to 5-3 and has now lost all three of its games against Power-5 teams.
The Trojans led by as many as 7 points late in the first half and were up 35-29 with less than 2 minutes before halftime when the Wolf Pack (8-0) mounted its charge. Tre'Shawn Thurman drained a 3-pointer and jumper for 5 quick points to cut it to a 35-34 lead entering the break.
And that was just the beginning.
Trey Porter sank a jumper in the opening minute of the second half to put Nevada ahead and the visitors never let up from there. Jordan Caroline followed with 2 points, Caleb Martin drained a 3-pointer and then Porter backed down Nick Rakocevic before throwing down an emphatic dunk to make it a 43-35 lead and cap the 14-0 run.
USC would never recover.
Caroline made a nice move to get around Rakocevic down low, go up and under the basket and spin in a layup off the glass to make 47-37. After a Jonah Mathews 3-pointer for USC and a miss from Nevada, the Trojans might have had a chance to steal some momentum, but Rakocevic was called for a technical foul on the rebound. Porter went to the line to knock down both free throws and then Caroline worked his way to the line for 1 of 2 foul shots, making it 50-39.
When USC countered with a thunderous Bennie Boatwright dunk, Nevada answered right back with a Jazz Johnson 3. Johnson then fed Thurman on the wing for a wide-open 3 to make it a 15-point game.
And when Jordan Usher made a 3 for USC, Johnson soon answered back with another of his own. If the dagger hadn't already been delivered by that point, it came when Cody Martin scrambled for a 3 at the end of the shot clock on a broken play, making it 61-44 not even midway through the half.
Nevada would peak its lead at 19 points (65-46) and USC never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Caroline led the Wolf Pack with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Thurman added 14 points and 11 boards.
Rakocevic led USC with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks on 8-of-12 shooting. The only other Trojan in double figures, though, was Derryck Thornton with 10 points as the hosts shot just 5 of 21 from 3-point range (23.8 percent) and 4 of 8 from the foul line.
To be fair, Nevada has won all its games by at least 10 points now, so the Trojans aren't alone in their inability to contain the unbeaten Wolf Pack.
But USC has done itself no favors in losing to Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and Nevada in its only notable non-conference games so far while getting its wins against the likes of Robert Morris, Stetson, Missouri State, CSU Bakersfield and Long Beach State.
The Trojans still have TCU and Oklahoma on the schedule, among major conference teams, before starting Pac-12 play.
NOTES: Freshman standout Kevin Porter Jr. played just 4 points off the bench as he continues to be slowed by a quad injury.
