Mount St. Mary’s at USC
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Galen Center
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/AM 790
Records: Mount St. Mary’s 1-2; USC 2-1
USC latest result: It required 19 lead changes and 12 ties, but USC eventually finished a 59-57 win over Vermont on Tuesday night. Guard Drew Peterson took over by scoring or assisting on 14 out of USC’s last 17 points and scoring 15 of his game-high 20 in the second half. The game marked the second time USC has shot below 40% from the field in a game, though USC did make 12 of 26 baskets in the second half to complete an eight-point comeback.
Mount St. Mary’s latest result: The Mountaineers are coming off their first win of the season, though it did come against Division III school McDaniel College. Even against that opponent, Mount St. Mary’s managed to shoot just 40.3% from the floor and 22.2% from 3-point range. Forward Malik Jefferson still managed an efficient 6-for-6 night with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Key matchup: Peterson vs. Jalen Benjamin. Benjamin is similar to Peterson in that he is capable of stuffing a stat sheet. He leads Mount St. Mary’s in scoring (19.7 points per game) and assists (5.7) while adding 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals. The difference is that Benjamin does all this at 5-foot-10, while Peterson stands at 6-foot-8. So which will be able to carry his team, especially if the game gets close in the final minutes?
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USC trend to watch: Which version of USC’s shooters shows up? Every game it seems to be a different answer. Against Florida Gulf Coast, USC’s shooting was poor, to put it mildly. The Trojans showed a lot of improvement against Alabama State. Then each half was a different story against Vermont. So how do the Trojans shoot on Friday, and does there start to be some continuity in that area of the game for USC?