Boogie Ellis leads No. 21 USC basketball to season-opening win over Kansas State
LAS VEGAS — No. 21 USC used a two-prong attack to earn an 82-69 win over Kansas State on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
The Trojans beat the Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena as part of the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas.
“I think we’ll use this as a learning experience,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “It was a big win for us but we didn’t play perfectly. So we’ll go back and look at the video and hopefully improve next game.”
Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis put the finishing touches on the win by hitting two free throws with 90 seconds left to give USC a double-digit lead for good. Moments after, he connected on a tough floater as he fell to the hardwood.
Lakers star LeBron James says son Bronny could be returning to the court for USC in the near future. “Things are going in the right direction.”
“We’ve got a lot of vets and people that are experienced and been through it,” Ellis said. “So we just stayed calm, came together and just stayed calm.”
Ellis finished with a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
He helped lead a defensive effort that limited Kansas State to 31% shooting. The constant pressure on the perimeter coupled with help defense saw USC force 17 turnovers.
“We held them to 31% from the field,” Enfield said. “They missed 49 shots, so a percentage of those are going to go to them, but 23 offensive rebounds — four of them were team rebounds — but that’s too many. I thought in the second half we were more physical and more focused on it.”
Freshman guard Isaiah Collier scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half during his college debut.
“I thought Isaiah played a great first half,” Enfield said. “First game on a big stage here in Las Vegas, I thought it was important for us to get out to a fast start. I thought Boogie and Isaiah really controlled the tempo in the first half.”
Collier’s final stat line consisted of 18 points and six assists. He fouled out with just under five minutes to play.
“I definitely made a lot of mistakes in this game,” Collier said, “as far as turnovers and fouls as well so just being smart overall when I’m in trouble. I just have to be smarter down the stretch for sure.”
Trojans Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan rounded out the double-figure scorers with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Bronny James attended the game but did not play. His father, LeBron James, told reporters in Miami on Monday that Bronny would see doctors in a month to get clearance to practice and ease his way back to the court after he collapsed during a practice due to a previously undiagnosed heart defect.
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