Mason Scores Game-High 18 Points To Pace Bulldogs

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Yale held a high-scoring USC team nearly 15 points below its season average. The Trojans, though, did a pretty good job defensively themselves. The result was a hard-fought 68-56 USC victory before a crowd of 4,117 at the Galen Center that included a good number of Yale supporters.

The Trojans, who are off to their best start since 2006-07, held the Bulldogs to 41.8 percent from the field and outscored them 18-5 at the foul line.

Yale (5-5) didn't help its cause by committing 16 turnovers, which USC turned into 25 points.

"It wasn't our best effort," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We've had a problem lately with turnovers and that came up again today. Normally we are a very good rebounding team, and we didn't do a good job, especially on the defensive end."

Yale, who came into the game 12th in the nation in rebounding margin at +12.1, lost the battle of the boards 34-28. Fourteen of the Trojans' rebounds came at the offensive end.

Still, the Bulldogs stayed within striking distance for most of the game. Trailing 34-22, Yale opened the second half with a 13-6 run, capped by a Makai Mason jumper that pulled the Bulldogs within 40-35 with 15:45 left.

The Trojans, though, scored the next six points.

Jack Montague answered with a three-pointer, and Yale kept the deficit in single digits for most of the rest of the way, but USC had an answer every time the Bulldogs made a run.

"We started the second half with great energy, but it's hard to keep that up, and USC is a very good team," Jones said.

Mason finished with 18 points, four assists and two steals to lead Yale. Justin Sears added 14 points and six rebounds, and Montague scored 10 points. Brandon Sherrod contributed nine points.

Bennie Boatwright had 17 points to pace the Trojans, who won their third straight game and are 8-2 overall. Katin Reinhardt and Jordan McLaughline both scored 14 points.

"Yale is a very good team," said USC coach Andy Enfield, who has his team primed to be a serious contender in the Pac 12. "They do a great job of spreading the floor.  They have good players and are well coached.  We're fortunate to beat a good team today."

After traveling nearly 12,000 miles in the first month of the season, the Bulldogs, who will return to New Haven on Monday, will now get a break for final exams and the holiday. Yale's next game is Dec. 30 at Central Connecticut, and the Bulldogs don't play another game outside the state of Connecticut until Jan. 23 at Brown.

"We have some things we need to shore up [before the start of Ivy League play," Jones said. "We need to get some contributions from our bench. We have four games left to try and get those guys some confidence."

NOTES: The Bulldogs were 5-of-19 from three-point range in the game. USC was just 4-of-13 from beyond the arc… USC's bench outscored Yale's reserves 16-4… Mason was 7-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-7 on three-pointers… The Trojans blocked six shots and entered the day fifth in the nation in blocks… Yale and USC were playing for only the second time. The Trojans knocked off the Bulldogs 84-60 in the 1988 Rainbow Classic in Hawaii… There was a large contingent of former Yale players in attendance, many of whom travelled down from the San Francisco area to take in the game… A group of players from the early and mid-1980s joined the team for an outstanding dinner at Rao's Hollywood on Saturday night.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity