USC welcomes Div. III Santa Cruz in Brown's stead

Southern California closes its nonconference slate on Sunday in Los Angeles with a visit from Div. III UC Santa Cruz.

USC (11-1) was slated to play Ivy League member Brown, but the game was canceled Tuesday due to the fatal shooting on Brown's campus on Dec. 13. The Banana Slugs (6-6) stepped forward to play the Trojans for the first time.

"We are appreciative of (USC) coach (Eric) Musselman and his staff for the opportunity to play at USC on Sunday after the tragic events at Brown last week," UCSC coach Matt Malone said in a statement. "This will be an incredible experience for our student athletes to compete against a Big Ten opponent."

The Banana Slugs are facing a Big Ten opponent for the first time and playing their only Div. I competition of the season. UCSC completes a four-game road swing through southern California that opened with losses to Whittier and Chapman, but improved on Wednesday with a 67-58 win at Pomona-Pitzer.

Joseph Espy, who averages 16 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, posted a 16-point, 12-rebound effort in the win.

Sunday's game -- USC's last before facing No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 2 -- should provide the Trojans an opportunity for a tune-up. USC rolls in on a three-game winning streak after a 97-70 rout of UTSA on Wednesday.

The blowout victory saw Ryan Cornish erupt for his best game as a Trojan, knocking down 4-of-6 3-point attempts on the way to 18 points after scoring just seven in the team's first 11 games. Cornish's emergence coincides with the Dartmouth transfer's move into the lineup to help address the absence of Rodney Rice, who will miss the rest of the year due to shoulder surgery.

"He's been way more talkative," Musselman said of Cornish. "If you're going to be a guard, you have to talk and communicate with your teammates, and you want leadership out of that position. He's given us all those things, and he's earned it. Nothing was handed to Ryan at USC."

The Trojans have also seen inspired play from forward Ezra Ausar in recent outings. The Utah transfer followed up a career-high 29 points on Dec. 9 at San Diego with his first double-double for USC on Wednesday, going for 22 points and 10 rebounds.

--Field Level Media