No. 24 USC rallies, then holds off Troy, 82-77

After USC forward Bennie Boatwright went down with a knee injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks, Coach Andy Enfield made a strange declaration.

“I think we’ll still score the same amount of points,” Enfield said. “It’s who’s going to step up?”

In USC’s first two games afterward, perhaps no one had filled in better than point guard Jordan McLaughlin.

On Saturday, there was McLaughlin with the ball in his hands in the final minute, and once again, USC needed him to step up. An undefeated nonconference season was USC’s for the taking so long as it avoided any significant letdowns in its final four games before Pac-12 play begins. But with 45 seconds left against Troy, the score was tied.

McLaughlin dribbled at the top of the key. Then he darted toward the basket, crossed over to split two defenders and kissed the ball off the glass. The basket gave USC a lead it finally wouldn’t relinquish. USC won, 82-77, to improve its best start in 46 years to 10-0.

“You live for moments like that,” McLaughlin said.

USC averaged 80.6 points in games when Boatwright played. Since, it has scored 91, 93 and now 82.

A major reason has been McLaughlin, who has adapted his game in Boatwright’s absence. In USC’s first seven games, McLaughlin’s high was 13 points. Since then, he has averaged 21 points.

On Saturday, he scored another 21 on six-for-12 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists.

“The last three or four weeks, he’s been as good as any point guard in the nation,” Enfield said.

McLaughlin said he hasn’t tried to score more to compensate for Boatwright’s absence.

“I just read the game,” he said.

For much of the evening, it made for ugly reading. USC led for a total of only 5 minutes 13 seconds. Troy (6-5) led by as many as 10 points in the second half, lifted by a barrage of three-pointers, many from well behind the three-point line. USC was slow to extend its defense to challenge Troy’s shooters.

“They still shot 39%, but it seemed like they shot 99% in the first 30 minutes of the game,” Enfield said.

He said Troy “looked like the better team for most of the game tonight.”

With a little more than a minute remaining, Troy’s Jeremy Hollimon pulled up and drained a three-pointer to break a stalemate and restore Troy’s three-point lead.

But USC had caught a break. After forward Chimezie Metu made a basket to pull within one point, Troy was whistled for an inbounds violation. Metu drew a foul and made the first free throw to tie the score. He missed the second, but USC got the rebound, which led to McLaughlin’s game-winning score.

Metu scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He was called on frequently to make baskets down the stretch. Elijah Stewart, who scored 26 points last game against Pepperdine, scored 11 points on Saturday.

Forward Charles Buggs, who injured his hamstring in warmups against Pepperdine last Sunday, returned to action early in the first half on Saturday.

USC is one of only six undefeated teams in the nation, out of 351.

“To be 10-0 with that lack of experience, the youth, and without Bennie Boatwright, we’re extremely proud of our players,” Enfield said. “I don’t think any of us expected — I didn’t think about it.”

USC has a good shot to finish its nonconference schedule undefeated for just the fifth time in its 111-season history. With the exception of No. 94 Wyoming, a potential opponent in the New Orleans Classic tournament next week, no remaining opponent in the nonconference schedule ranks in the top 200 of the Ratings Percentage Index.

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand