In what was supposed to be a tune up for the Pac-10 season which begins on Thursday night at California, USC’s basketball team (9-3) ran into some trouble in the first half against Riverside (3-8) on Saturday night before ultimately prevailing 70 - 57.  The Trojans trailed the Highlanders 26-12 early in the first half, but they remained composed and continued to push the ball, tying the score by halftime.  The primary issue throughout the game was that the drastically undersized Riverside players were able to grab key rebounds from the bigger Trojans, not a good sign when USC will have to deal with the Brobdingnagian frontline Devon Hardin and Ryan Anderson in Berkeley in just five days.  O.J. Mayo had another mediocre shooting night, going just 8 for 21, for 20 points, most of which came late in the second half.  Riverside was within 4 points of SC with just over seven minutes remaining, but solid late game performances by Mayo and Daniel Hackett led to a 12 - 0 run which dispatched the visitors.

Trojans’ win looks a little too effortless (LA Times)
Trojans rally to beat UC Riverside (LA Daily News)