No. 23 USC keeps its record perfect with victory over Missouri State, 83-75

USC’s undefeated march through overmatched nonconference opponents continued Thursday night in the Las Vegas Classic.

The Trojans’ 83-75 victory over Missouri State at the Orleans Arena was much like the 11 wins that preceded it, different only in manner. Whereas of late the Trojans had started slowly and then upped their performance, this time it was the opposite. They began hot, then just held on. With the tournament championship game looming Friday night against Wyoming, the No. 23 Trojans continue their pursuit of the program record of 16 consecutive victories, set 45 years ago.

Junior guards Elijah Stewart and Jordan McLaughlin carried USC, combining for 40 points on 13-of-23 shooting. Sophomore forward Chimezie Metu had13 points and nine rebounds.

USC made 55% of its shots.

It started with McLaughlin feeding Metu for a dunk. On USC’s second possession, Metu dunked again, fed by freshman De’Anthony Melton, who was making his first start of the season. McLaughlin penetrated for an easy layup, and the Trojans were off. Shaqquan Aaron notched a three-pointer to open a nine-point lead.

With seven minutes left in the half, Missouri State closed to within three points. Forward Obediah Church pushed the Trojans. Elijah Stewart was whistled for an odd technical foul when he attempted a tip-in and grabbed onto the rim to protect himself from falling onto another player, but the Bears missed the gift free throw, and then the Trojans began to score again. When Stewart nailed a corner three-pointer, the Trojans’ lead growing to 10 points.

Two more Stewart shots stretched the advantage to 14 with 30 seconds remaining in the half. In the period, the Bears attempted 14 two-point shots and made only three. While the two teams shot similarly from beyond the three-point line, USC made 12 of 17 two-point attempts.

Those statistics regressed to normalcy in the second half, but Missouri State could not inch within 10 points until late in the game. When the Bears were behind by 13 with six minutes left, Stewart swished a distant three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer, eliciting the loudest crowd reaction of the night. The Bears kept up the pressure and trailed by 11 with four minutes to play.

USC Coach Andy Enfield then called for a timeout after Missouri State missed a three-pointer. Wild possessions followed on both ends, but the Bears converted a contested floater to come within nine points.

Chimezie Metu drew a foul and made both of his free throws, but turned the ball over the next time down the floor, and Missouri State’s Alize Johnson made consecutive three-pointers to bring the score to 70-63.

The Trojans made 13 of their final 14 free throws to seal the victory.

The tournament was lightly attended. During game action, the concourses were empty, not a soul in sight, and the stands sprinkled with fans here and there, perhaps a few hundred in all, making heckles, instructions and cheers alike audible.

The Trojans’ approach appeared to match the atmosphere. One hour before tipoff, Enfield filtered into the press room and bantered with reporters and team officials. While the team took pregame jumpers, guard Derryck Thornton, sitting out the season after transferring from Duke, stood under the basket and fiddled with his phone.

In the second half, one DePaul staffer scouting the teams for Friday’s game repeatedly joked that the referees were officiating as if they had a show to attend later on the Las Vegas Strip; the teams totaled only six fouls for the first half, including just two Trojan offenses.

By chance or by force, the whistles started thereafter. Twenty-six fouls were called in the second half.

In the final minutes, it became clear that a handful of Missouri State boosters on the sidelines were more concerned with the score than the outcome. When Ronnie Rousseau III drilled a three-pointer at the last second to make the final margin eight, they all embraced.

The Bears walked off the court, but the fans continued to holler. They had bet on a 9.5-point spread somewhere in this city, and they had won.

USC TONIGHT

vs. WYOMING

When: 8.

Where: Orleans Arena (Las Vegas).

On the air: TV: FS1; Radio: 710.

Update: Wyoming qualified for the championship game with a 72-58 victory over DePaul. The Cowboys (10-2) have lost only to Pacific and California and have won seven in a row since Nov. 25, when they lost at Cal. Their top scorer, sophomore Justin James, leads a balanced attack, with four players averaging double figures in points.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Follow Pedro Moura on Twitter @pedromoura