Freshman Evan Mobley powers USC to victory at Arizona State

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Freshman Evan Mobley had 19 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, and USC beat Arizona State 73-64 on Saturday.

The 7-foot Mobley, a likely top-five pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was five-for-seven shooting from the field and had a career-high six blocks. Tahj Eaddy scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds, and Isaiah Mobley — Evan’s older brother — added 13 points and 10 rebounds for USC (8-2, 3-1 Pac-12 Conference), which has won three in a row.

The Trojans, who beat Arizona 87-73 on Thursday night, swept their trip through the desert for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

“It was a big road swing to win two games on the road in Arizona,” coach Andy Enfield said in a postgame videoconference. “We hadn’t won either place. We’ve lost a lot of closed games here. Arizona’s been great at home ...

“It’s a credit to our program and our players.”

Arizona State (4-5, 1-2) was without guards Remy Martin and Jaelen House as well as forwards Jalen Graham and Taeshon Cherry for the second consecutive game, for various reasons. Martin is in the coronavirus protocol after missing the UCLA game to attend his grandfather’s funeral.

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Highlights from USC’s 73-64 victory at Arizona State on Saturday.

Senior Holland Woods scored 11 of his season-high 18 points in the final two minutes of the first half as the Sun Devils trimmed a 16-point deficit to 36-32. His steal and layup gave Arizona State a 58-56 lead with 7:03 to play. The Trojans answered with a 15-3 run as Arizona State missed six consecutive shots and committed three turnovers over the next six-plus minutes.

Woods starred at Apollo High School in nearby Glendale, Ariz., and then earned All-Big Sky Conference honors of some sort in each of his three seasons at Portland State before he transferred to Arizona State. He is the Vikings’ career leader in assists (521) and steals (165) and ranks fifth in points (1,387).