Despite Some Resilience From Bronny James, USC’s Vexation Continues As the End of 2023 Brings Another Loss
With Bronny James getting another start, head coach Andy Enfield was hoping to turn things around. Unfortunately, his 15 points weren’t enough at the end as the Trojans went down 86-70 on Saturday night.
USC traveled to Oregon to take on the State Beavers for their next 13th NCAA game this season. After an impressive away win against Alabama State, the Trojans stumbled against the Ducks in their previous encounter. Consequently, they now carry a 50% win record in the Pac-12 Conference. Following this, they entered the Gill Coliseum hoping to close 2023 with a win.
USC suffered another defeat
The Trojans trailed Oregan in the initial minutes of the opening half. Senior guard Dexter Akanno and No. 34 Tyler Bilodeau along with Jordan Pope did most of the scoring for them.
Meanwhile, Boogie Ellis made sure to keep USC within touching distance trying to fight a lone battle. However, the Trojans couldn’t handle the pace of the Beavers and the trio of Akanno, Bilodeau and Pope created some separation between the two teams.
As a result, Oreagan was leading by 9 points by the end of the first half. The scoreboard read 39-30 in favor of the Beavers.
The gap widened as Oregon was the first team to put points on the board at the beginning of the second half. The lead was beginning to look unassailable for the visitors as no one was able to make any addition to their half-time score.
On the other hand, Oregon State kept on piling up further strengthening their grip on the contest. Although, Boogie Ellis tried his best to avoid another disappointment. Sad to say, he couldn’t get any support from any of his teammates. In the end, it was all too much for USC to catch up as Oregon handed them their 7th defeat of the season.
Bronny James Makes His College Debut With Dominant Block and a 3 Pointer As Proud Father LeBron James Watches in Attendance
However, LeBron James eldest son–Bronny James tried to show some resistance. Eventually, he became the second USC player after Ellis to enter double-digits.
Bronny James shows promise
The 19-year-old son of the Lakers‘ rockstar had a few tricks up his sleeve in the second half. Bronny played second fiddle to the No.5 Boogie Ellis in their desperate attempt to end 2023 on a winning note.
Sadly, they couldn’t get any backup from the rest of the locker room as USC couldn’t get an upper hand throughout the match. Nonetheless, Bronny gave a glimpse of his ingrained brilliance as he contributed 15 points along with 3 assists and grabbed 1 rebound.
The poor show continues for the Trojans as they lose their second consecutive game. As the competition heads towards its conference phase, chances appear to be dim for USC to make it to the Final Four. Yet, fans will still hope they can regroup and perform better against California next.
