Wednesday’s contest against the USC Trojans was a great opportunity for USD head coach Lamont Smith to see how his team stacked up against a Pac-12 opponent.
It appears his young Toreros still have a ways to go.
San Diego never led from start to finish and ultimately succumbed 76-55 to the visitors from Los Angeles.
USD has never beaten USC in six tries.
USC is coached by Andy Enfield who took Florida Gulf Coast to an unexpected trip to the Sweet 16 a few years ago. He has the Trojans off to their best start since the 2000-2001 campaign with a 7-0 record.
Tyler Williams scored USD’s first eight points but the visitors quickly built a 21-12 lead. Fellow sophomore Olin Carter III nailed a trey a couple minutes later to cut the deficit to 23-17, but USD would never get any closer after that.
Carter finished with a game-high 21 points and made five threes. He’s developed into a solid scoring threat from the perimeter and can take it to the basket when he sees an opening.
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Senior Brett Bailey supplied some support on the offensive end with 17 points and Williams finished with 10.
Meanwhile, Chimezie Metu led the Trojans with 19 points and 13 boards while Elijah Stewart chipped in with 15 points.
Local product Bennie Boatwright started for USC but sprained his left knee barely three minutes into the contest. Enfield said the team’s second-leading scorer would have an MRI exam Thursday.
“We're hoping for the best,” admitted Enfield. “He'll certainly be out for a while. We're hoping it's a few weeks vs. the season.
San Diego's next game is Saturday at Northern Arizona before their next home contest which is Wednesday against Cal State Fullerton.
