Trojans Able to Adapt

The Trojans showed their versatility in Friday night’s victory over Nevada Las Vegas. The team that scrambled and pressed through two exhibitions and its opener settled into a tight zone defense against the Runnin’ Rebels.

“We felt UNLV could only play up and down the court so we wanted to slow them down,” forward Adam Spanich said. “They didn’t have a half-court offense. They just threw the ball around the perimeter all night long.”

A frustrated UNLV never found a way inside the Trojan defense and couldn’t make its outside shots. USC Coach Henry Bibby was encouraged that his players were able to shift styles from one night to the next.

“To be a good basketball team, you have to be able to press, you have to be able to run and you have to be able to play half-court offense and defense,” Bibby said. “All the good teams can play that way.”