USC rides Katin Reinhardt’s roll to 101-82 victory over Cal Poly

USC guard Katin Reinhardt has made a habit of scoring most of his points in the second half of games, but he mixed things up against the Cal Poly Mustangs, scoring 22 in the first 20 minutes and 29 overall to help the Trojans win, 101-82, Thursday night at the Galen Center.

The Trojans tied a season-high with 101 points, and their 9-2 start is the school’s best since 2006.

Reinhardt made his first five shots — including three from beyond the arc — to give him 13 points in less than six minutes. Later in the half, he converted on another three-pointer, then drew three free throws on his next trip down the court. His first half output was already a season high.

“I think when you see the first one go through, obviously, you have a little more confidence than if you were going to miss the first one or two,” Reinhardt said. “I was just getting what the defense gave me. They played off, so I just knocked shots down.”

Though Reinhardt was the main attraction, plenty of players were shooting from the perimeter for both teams.

The Mustangs (5-5) were able to keep pace in the first half by making six of 12 three-point attempts.

But USC was able to extend a seven-point halftime advantage. The Trojans were 36 for 64 (56%) from the floor, and six players ended up in double figures. They held the Mustangs to just two three-pointers after the break.

“I thought we did a better job in the second half,” Coach Andy Enfield said. “I’m very happy with our performance and proud of our players.”

Junior guard Julian Jacobs returned to the lineup after a one-game absence because of tendinitis in his Achilles’, and immediately made his presence felt. He was aggressive attacking the lane, and also contributed a couple of highlight-reel passes to freshman Chimezie Metu, both of which resulted in dunks. Jacobs finished with 10 points and 13 assists.

“I think Coach trusted me, putting me back in the starting lineup as soon as I was able to practice,” Jacobs said. “There was no drop-off.”

Freshman Bennie Boatwright — USC’s top scorer in its previous two games — had 10 points, and Metu had the best performance of his young career with 16 points and five rebounds. The only blemish on the efficient offensive outing was sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin’s three points on one-for-six shooting.

David Nwaba paced the Mustangs with 15 points, and Taylor Sutlive and Luke Meikle each added 13.

After the game, Jacobs invoked the “dunk city” nickname Enfield’s former team, Florida Golf Coast, became famous for in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

“We went through hell the first two years,” Jacobs said of his freshman and sophomore seasons. “But it’s sort of paying off now. … Today is the first time we embodied ‘dunk city’ from start to finish.”