USC Easily Dispatches Chattanooga in First Win of Eric Musselman Era

Trojans Cruise to 77-54 Victory in Season Opener

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Andy Enfield era at USC got off to a winning start on Monday night as the Trojans rolled to a 77-54 victory over Chattanooga in the season opener at the Galen Center.

USC (1-0) was led by senior guard Jonah Mathews, who scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Junior forward Onyeka Okongwu added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.

Dominant Defense Sets the Tone

The Trojans' defense set the tone early, holding Chattanooga (0-1) to just 34.6% shooting from the field in the first half. USC also forced 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, which led to a 10-point halftime lead.

The Trojans continued to pour it on in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 25 points. Chattanooga never got closer than 15 points in the final 20 minutes.

Balanced Scoring Attack

In addition to Mathews and Okongwu, USC got solid contributions from several other players. Sophomore guard Ethan Anderson scored 13 points, while senior forward Nick Rakocevic added 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Trojans also got a boost from their bench, which outscored Chattanooga's reserves 22-10.

Impressive Debut for Musselman

The victory was a promising start for Musselman, who is in his first season as USC's head coach. Musselman, who previously led Nevada to four NCAA Tournament appearances, was hired by USC in April after Enfield was fired.

Musselman said he was pleased with his team's effort and execution in the season opener.

"I thought our guys played really hard and together tonight," Musselman said. "We still have a lot of things to work on, but I'm really excited about the potential of this team."