A rare December exhibition game did not go well for the Trojans on Saturday, as Fresno Pacific–coached by ex-Trojan interim head coach Jim Saia–defeated USC by a score of 65-44 at the Galen Center. Before you jump to conclusions, you should keep in mind that USC rested all of its top five leading scorers for the duration of the game. Keith Wilkinson led the “Trojans” with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman center Mamadou Diarra (5 points in 15 minutes) made his first game appearance since his pre-season hernia surgery. Freshman guard Marcus Simmons also was able to return from a lengthy ankle injury and played 35 minutes.

USC’s next real game comes one week from Monday, when the Trojans host Delaware State on Dec. 17 at 7:30p.

USC Loses Exhibition Game to Fresno Pacific By The Score of 65-44 (Official USC site)