USC basketball: Trojans lead Titans at halftime, 32-30

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It seems as though both USC and Cal State Fullerton have other things on their mind tonight instead of basketball. Perhaps turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Maybe some football.

Either way, they served sloppy play in the first half of their game at the Galen Center, in which USC leads, 32-30.

The game began with each team throwing bricks at the rim. By the 11:19 mark in the first half, they were nine of 27 and the Trojans led, 12-8.

Things picked up from there, but only slightly.

USC shot 12 of 27 (44.4%) for the half, Cal State Fullerton shot 11 of 30 (36.7%).

What hurt USC most was its turnovers, as no one really seems to be on the same page. The Trojans, led by freshman guard Bryce Jones’ nine points, have nine giveaways.

Senior guard Marcus Simmons was called for an intentional foul with 5:06 left when he grabbed Titans forward Orane Chin around the waist to stop him from going for a layup.

-- Baxter Holmes