Southern Cal leveraged a stout defensive effort, leading nearly wire-to-wire, as it snapped a six-game losing streak with an 82-54 rout of visiting Oregon State on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The Trojans (9-13, 3-8 Pac-12) held the Beavers to just 18-for-52 shooting from the floor while knocking down 30 of 61 shots on their own end. Meanwhile, USC dominated the glass with a 44-24 rebounding edge.
DJ Rodman recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high equaling 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. The Trojans parlayed their 20-10 advantage in offensive rebounds into a 25-11 disparity in second-chance points.
Two of USC’s second-chance points came on a buzzer-beating Kijani Wright putback just before intermission, capping what proved to be the game’s decisive run.
Oregon State (11-11, 3-8) cut what had been a double-digit deficit for much of the first half to seven points before the Trojans responded with a 10-2 run to go into the locker room.
After the Beavers scored the first four points of the second half, USC went on another run of 15-2 to blow the game open.