Saturday night’s football victory over Penn State was not the only USC event that took place over the weekend. On Friday, the Trojans men’s basketball team played a preseason exhibition game against North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, the basketball game did not go nearly as well for USC as the football game did. The Trojans fell 88-70 after being outscored 51-31 in the second half.
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“Tar Heel Nation left First Horizon Coliseum very happy,” Aidan Jensen of Tar Heels Wire wrote. “Primarily behind lockdown defense and a career game from Chapel Hill native Jarin Stevenson, North Carolina pulled away late in the second half for an 88-70 victory over a solid Trojans squad.
“Stevenson recorded a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double. Stevenson made 8-of-14 shots from the field, including four from deep, while sinking 5 of 6 free throw attempts.
“UNC struggled with free throws last season, but drained 25 of its 30 attempts on Friday night. USC made 14 of 21 from the charity stripe, a major factor in the outcome.
“North Carolina has plenty to be happy about, and Tar Heel Nation can sleep well tonight.”
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Rodney Rice led the way for the Trojans with 22 points and five assists. Alijah Arenas added 17 points, and freshman Darius Ratliff scored 13.
USC will play another exhibition game this Saturday night when the Trojans head down to La Jolla, California to take on UC San Diego. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN+.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball falls to North Carolina in preseason exhibition
