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Trojans Get Victory...And Relief

Kevin Patra |
November 27, 2009 | 9:31 p.m. PST

Senior Editor
Marcus Johnson and Alex Stepheson played for the first time this season for USC and provided a huge lift in the Trojans' 74-43 blowout victory
over the Coppin State Eagles, Friday night at the Galen Center.

The Trojans rebounded from a tough loss last week against against Loyla
Marymount where they blew a half-time lead and looked fatigued as only six players played the entire game.

"It was good to have Al [Stepheson] and Marcus Johnson get some
minutes," said first year coach Kevin O'Neill. "It helped our
athleticism and size a little bit. It's unfortunate they weren't able
to play last week, but that's the way it is."

Johnson, a red-shirt senior, served a two-game suspension from the NCAA
for participating an exhibition game when he attended the University of
Connecticut before he transferred to USC. Stephenson, a 6-foot-9
forward, missed the first two games with a knee injury after sitting
out all of last season after transferring from North Carolina.

The duo provided immediate firepower to the Trojans' depleted lineup.
Johnson got the start in place of forward Kasey
Cunningham who suffered a torn ACL in last weekends game and will miss
the rest of the season.

"He [Johnson] is a guy that shares the ball, he's a guy that can make
some plays on the move and he's got some experience," said O'Neill. "He
is a guy that can guard guys at different sizes he is quick enough to
guard a small guy, he's big and strong enough to guard bigger guys, so
it was good to see him out there."

Johnson scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds in just 22 minutes
of play, but his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls were a
boon to the Trojans after they struggled to get in the lane in their
first two matchups.

Stepheson came off the bench and provided a spark on both the offensive
and defensive sides of the ball scoring 13 points and grabbing nine
rebounds. His biggest play came with 7:41 left first half with the score
still close when he rejected a Vince Goldsberry lay-up attempt, sending the ball out past the half-court line. The play energized a lethargic USC defense and the sparse
crowed, which helped the Trojans to a 40-27 halftime lead.

"For a guy who hasn't played in a year and a half I thought he was
great," said O'Neill. "It's going to take him
some time though."

The Trojans started the game slow and got down early, 8-0, before they
picked up the defensive intensity and played patient on offense. The
Trojans' offense was hurried and disjointed for much of first half as
they took bad shots and didn't move the ball well against the Eagles'
defense.  

"Our guys need to realize, every single one of them, if you shoot a
first-pass jump shot it better go in, because that is not a great
shot," said O'Neill about his teams' first half performance.

Once the Trojans moved the ball on the perimeter and utilized their
size advantage in the post they got wide open looks and some easy
baskets inside.

Junior point guard Donte Smith and freshman forward Evan Smith were the
beneficiary of some of the ball movement. Donte Smith (nine points,
three steals, two assists) made three three-point shots and Evan (eight
points) hit two wide-open three-pointers that helped put the game away
for the Trojans.

It was a balanced scoring effort that led USC to the victory as nine
Trojans scored and six had at least eight points. Sophomore forward Nikola Vucevic led the way with 15
points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Vucevic also aided the offensive
ball movement as he made good reads and passes out of the post that
helped set up many wide open looks for the Trojans' guards.

The Trojans play host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers Sunday at the Galen
Center before heading to play two tough road games at Texas (Dec. 3)
and Georgia State (Dec. 5).

O'Neill said the experience of playing elevated competition will help his young team grow in the future.

"It's going to be experience in big-time games for our guys," said
O'Neill. "I hope that we will compete the way we should compete. We are
going to struggle early in the Nebraska game in terms of our execution
because they are going to be up into us more than these other teams
have been."

O'Neil seemed cautions to raise the expectations of his team, which is
still getting healthy and learning to play a new system and to
play together.

"The important thing for us is to learn how to play hard for 40
minutes. Of course we'd like to win all these game but I think what we
need to do is give ourselves a chance to win down the stretch."

Game Notes: Trojan sophomore Percy Romeo Miller saw his first action of the season after being ineligible to start the season for violating NCAA rules.
Miller brought the crowd to its feet at the end of the game as he stole
the ball and streaked toward the basket. He went up as if he might try
and duck the ball, but the guard, listed at 5'11", thought better of it
and laid the ball in to give the Trojans a 72-38 lead with 1:52 left.

 



 

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