Southern California Trojans vs Saint Joseph's Hawks Box Score on Nov 25, 2021

Boogie Ellis scored 17 points and dished four assists, Chevez Goodwin added 10 points and eight rebounds and No. 24 USC cruised past Saint Joseph's 70-55 on Thursday in the first game of the Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

The Trojans (5-0) jumped out to a 23-9 advantage in the first 10 minutes and maintained a double-digit cushion for most of the night. USC's championship game opponent Friday will be San Diego State, which beat Georgetown 73-56 on Friday. The Hawks (2-3) will meet the Hoyas in the consolation game.

USC overwhelmed Saint Joseph's with a combination of stifling defense and balanced scoring, building a lead of as many as 20 points in the second half.

Joshua Morgan recorded 13 points and six rebounds to lead a strong, 28-point effort from the USC reserves. Ethan Anderson and Reese Dixon-Waters each chipped in six points.

Isaiah Mobley finished with just four points, but he dominated the glass with 11 rebounds. Mobley helped clog the lane defensively as Saint Joseph's struggled to find clean looks at the hoop.

The Hawks shot just 23 of 65 from the floor (35.4 percent). Jordan Hall, who totaled 44 points in Saint Joseph's previous two games, was held to 1-of-12 shooting for two points on Thursday.

Ejike Obinna led the Hawks with a game-high 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The rest of the Saint Joseph's team finished 14 of 52 (26.9 percent).

The Hawks struggled from 3-point range in particular, going 6 of 31 (19.4 percent). They were just 2 of 15 from outside at halftime.

Saint Joseph's cut the deficit to seven points before the first media timeout of the second half, but USC responded with the first six points out of the break. The Hawks never pulled to within 10 points again.

USC's 12-3 run spanning almost three minutes midway through the second half blew the game open.

--Field Level Media