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Drew Peterson's Hot Shooting Lifts No. 16 USC Men's Basketball In 79-67 Win At Utah

by usctrojans.com
Jan 22, 2022

Drew Peterson scored a season-high 23 points and was a scorching 9-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the 3-point line as No. 16 USC men's basketball defeated Utah, 79-67, in Salt Lake City on Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans (16-2, 6-2 Pac-12) swept the Rocky Mountain road trip for the second time since Utah and Colorado joined the conference in 2011. USC defeated Colorado, 61-58, in Boulder on Thursday. The Trojans hadn't lost at either school since 2018, which also was the only other time USC had swept this trip.

Peterson also grabbed seven rebounds. Boogie Ellis had 18 points and Isaiah Mobley scored 10 with six boards and five assists.

USC gained control of the game by going on an 8-0 run sparked by two 3-pointers from Ellis. After both teams traded layups, the Trojans went on an 11-0 spurt that gave USC a 15-point advantage.

Despite maintaining the lead the rest of the game, USC couldn't completely put away Utah until the final buzzer as the Utes attempted multiple rallies to stay in the contest. Utah went on a 13-4 stretch after the Trojans' critical first-half run, cutting USC's lead to five at halftime.

The Trojans hit the Utes with another huge run early in the second half, going on a 14-2 stretch highlighted by Peterson's acrobatic layup to take their largest lead of the game at 16.

Utah immediately answered by a 9-0 run, but USC regained control by scoring five unanswered at the midway point of the second half. Reese Dixon-Waters lobbed an alley-oop to Max Agbonkpolo and Peterson hit two treys that helped sealed the Trojan victory.

USC returns to the Galen Center next week, hosting Arizona State on Monday, Stanford on Jan. 27 and California on Jan. 29 with phased attendance at all three games.

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