Trojans conclude nonconference slate with victory over Colorado State, move to 10-3

The #USC Trojans have significantly improved their NCAA Tournament resume over the past four days. They hope Colorado State wins the Mountain West.

The USC Trojans basketball team continues to win games in the month of December and has now moved its winning streak to six after defeating the Colorado State Rams on Wednesday, 73-64, at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix.

Just a few days after a signature win against Auburn, Andy Enfield’s team  took care of business before Christmas, with the Pac-12 Conference schedule kicking off on December 30 against Washington.

The Trojans had four players finish in double figures against Colorado State. Boogie Ellis led the way with 19 points and Drew Peterson was right behind with 18. Peterson scored 14 in the second half, powering USC to the win.

Patrick Cartier led the way for the Rams and had a game-high 22 points on 8-10 shooting from the field in the loss. USC led most of the way but had one big dry spell on offense in each half, making the game more dramatic than it needed to be. That’s often how Andy Enfield’s USC teams go about their business, but Enfield’s teams usually get things straightened out before it’s too late. Such was the case on Wednesday night.

Peterson was named MVP of the game with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in a well-balanced offensive attack for USC.

The Trojans shot well on offense, finishing 53.1 percent from the field and 47.4 beyond the arc. Colorado State won the free throw battle, shooting at an 82.6 percent clip while the Trojans shot just 63.2 percent.

Colorado State’s star player, Isaiah Stevens, was contained in this game. He finished with 15 points on 5-15 shooting and was held without a 3-pointer all game long.

USC will have more than a week off until the Washington game. The Huskies lost to Auburn on Wednesday night. The Trojans just defeated the Tigers and will have a lot to study on film when they watch U-Dub versus Auburn.

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