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Harrison Hornery Boosts No. 21 USC Men's Basketball In 74-68 Win Over Pacific

by usctrojans.com
Feb 8, 2022

LOS ANGELES — Boogie Ellis finished with 13 points and Drew Peterson and Chevez Goodwin each scored 12 as No. 21 USC men's basketball defeated Pacific, 74-68, at home on Tuesday night.

The Trojans (20-4, 9-4 Pac-12) also had a surprise emergence from freshman Harrison Hornery, who hit three momentum-swinging 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds. Reese Dixon-Waters, another freshman, also had nine points.

Hornery, who played just 16 minutes prior to Tuesday, took a spot in the rotation due to Isaiah Mobley missing the game with a nose fracture.

"Harrison is an outstanding player," said USC head coach Andy Enfield. "He hadn't played a lot because he's behind Isaiah Mobley. When we were down big, we had to change it up. He was a key to the game."

Enfield said Mobley suffered the injury during Saturday's loss to Arizona and is considered day-to-day. Enfield hopes the Trojans' leading scorer and rebounder will be available for Saturday's game against No. 12 UCLA.

The non-conference game between the Trojans and Tigers (7-16, 2-6 WCC) was added late into the season on Feb. 1. USC ends its non-conference slate at a perfect 11-0.

USC scored the first two baskets of the game but didn't lead again until 8:01 left in the second half.

The Trojans' recent shooting woes that hampered USC over the last several games continued Tuesday night. USC shot 31% from the field in the first half and Pacific used a 26-10 stretch that put the Tigers up 12 points at the 6:10 mark.

Despite the Trojans answering with a quick 6-0 run, USC went into the locker room down 30-22 at halftime.

USC entered the second half more with a more aggressive approach and hit all seven of their free throws in the period's first nine minutes, but the Tigers kept the Trojans distant with several key field goals.

Hornery didn't enter the game until the 14:16 mark in the second half and hit a 3-pointer three minutes later that woke up the Galen Center crowd.

Hornery made his second 3-pointer with 9:11 left. The shot triggered an 8-0 Trojan run that was capped by another triple from Hornery and restored USC's lead.

"My job was to come in and shoot the ball," Hornery said. "The team needed it. My job was to make shots and give the team energy. I was comfortable out there, I was playing with veterans."

Hornery's star veterans took over the rest of the game. Peterson made an emphatic dunk, hit two jumpers and assisted on two of Goodwin's slams to extend USC's advantage to seven points. Ellis sank a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left that sealed the game's result.

USC shot 61.5% from the field in the second half and outscored Pacific 52-38 in the final period.

"Defensively in the first half, we gave them too many shots at the rim," Enfield said. "In the second half, we went to zone and did a better job protecting the lane and the 3-point shots."

Alphonso Anderson had a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds for Pacific.

The Trojans take a three-day rest before hosting rival No. 12 UCLA at Galen Center on Saturday. Limited tickets to the crosstown showdown are still on sale.

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