Huskies Men’s Basketball Ends 8-Year Road Drought Against USC With Comeback Victory
Coming off a narrow two-point loss to UCLA in their first conference matchup of the season, the Washington Huskies showed they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten following an 84-76 upset of USC on Saturday, December 6, at the Galen Center.
The Huskies (6-3, 1-1) handed the No. 24-ranked Trojans (8-1, 1-1) their first loss of the season and snapped an 11-game losing streak against USC. It was UW’s first win against USC on the road since 2017 — ending an eight-year drought.
Even with a largely six-player rotation, the Huskies showed their starting lineup had the heart to erase an 18-point halftime lead and create a 26-point swing by the end of the game.
UW nearly doubled USC’s second-half scoring (54-28). It was a dominant period for UW that will be a building block for the rest of the season.
Digging an early hole
The Huskies started the game 0 for 5 from 3-point range — putting up good shots but simply missing on quality opportunities. USC used that cold streak to embark on a 13-0 run, quickly seizing a 16-5 advantage early in the first half.
It was the Trojans who took advantage of open and contested looks from beyond the 3-point line, converting 5 of 12 attempts from that area before the break. Defensively, USC held UW in check and forced them to throw up outside shots.
The USC backcourt made things hard for the Huskies’ perimeter players, clogging up passing lanes. That led to nine turnovers in the first half by UW, with the Trojans getting six extra possessions off Huskies mistakes.
UW finished the opening half a horrendous 1 for 12 on long-range shot attempts. The Huskies tried to stick with it, hoping it would improve, but they kept finding only the rim.
Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach and sophomore guard Wesley Yates III combined for 17 points in the opening half, but that wasn’t nearly enough to keep pace with a potent Trojans offense.
Steinbach, the Huskies’ leading scorer this season, crashed the boards hard and pulled down five offensive rebounds in the opening period alone. But the lack of outside shooting to support his impact on the inside kept UW in a deep hole.
Meanwhile, USC guards Chad Baker-Mazara and Jerry Easter II combined for 24 points, pushing the Trojans’ lead out to 18 at halftime.
A milestone comeback
UW bucked the trends to begin the second half. The Huskies sank each of their first three 3-point attempts, mounting a 15-4 run that got them right back in the game.
The Huskies still had very little bench production. It was the UW starting lineup that fueled the comeback, with Steinbach, Yates, guards Desmond Claude and Zoom Diallo leading the way. They settled in as the game went on, climbing back up to converting nearly 40 percent of their shots as the second half passed the midway point.
However, as that lineup continued to surge, USC had an answer — until they didn’t.
UW found a final, massive surge at the perfect time. Mounting a 10-0 run to tie the game with just over four minutes remaining, Steinbach drilled a critical 3-pointer to give the Huskies the lead, 71-68.
The Trojans cut the Huskies’ lead to one before Claude sank another 3-pointer, giving them a four-point advantage with 2:13 to play. Suddenly, USC appeared out of gas, while the UW defense began flocking to the ball.
Steinbach and Kepnang combined for 12 offensive rebounds, which gave the Huskies’ offense extra momentum. Claude was integral to the second-half comeback, scoring 18 points in the period.
UW seized the lead at the perfect time, as both teams traded blows down the stretch. The Huskies led by as much as six, but it was just a three-point game with 36 seconds remaining.
USC rushed each of its shot attempts to get back in it, and the Trojans had to foul to extend the game. The Huskies made good on the free throw opportunities, and they closed it out.
Steinbach led the Huskies with 24 points (8-for-10 FT), 16 rebounds and three assists. Claude totaled 22 points, two rebounds and four assists. Yates finished with 16 points and two steals.
Baker-Mazara, Easter and Marsh combined for 51 points for the Trojans — an impressive effort that still wasn’t enough in the second half.
Up Next
The Huskies host Southern Utah (4-7) in a non-conference game at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Alaska Airlines Arena. That will be the first of four out-of-conference contests before UW enters the meat of its Big Ten schedule.
