USC Men’s Basketball: Trojans lead Idaho State, 31-21, at halftime

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With USC and Idaho State combining for 19 first-half turnovers, it’s not much of a game for basketball purists. But for USC basketball fans, the Trojans have a lead, 31-21, at halftime of Friday night’s game at the Galen Center.

Some notable first-half facts and stats:

- USC (3-4) opened the game on a 25-6 run, largely when Idaho State was playing a man-to-man defense. The Bengals switched to a two-three zone defense -- which gave USC fits -- and responded with a 12-2 run to make it a nine-point game, 27-18.

- USC had 10 turnovers, many of which came on careless passes thrown in panic. Against Sacramento State, the Trojans had a season-high 25, and the Trojans are averaging 16.9 for the season. On the same note, Idaho State had nine turnovers.

- Senior forward Alex Stepheson and sophomore forward Nikola Vucevic combined for 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in the first half.

- Senior guard Dwight Lewis leads all scorers with 11 points on three-of-eight shooting.

- Freshman forward Evan Smith, who missed Tuesday’s game against Sacramento State because of bronchitis, checked into the game with 8:57 left in the first half. He has one rebound and no shot attempts.

- Last point: USC Coach Kevin O’Neill preached patience in Thursday’s practice. Is it working? At times. Vucevic had a nice up-and-under spin move in the first half for an easy two points, but a few possessions later, he rushed a pass to Stepheson and it was stolen by Idaho State.

-- Baxter Holmes