Watch CBS News

Byron Wesley Leads USC Past Cal State Fullerton, 76-62

 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Byron Wesley scored 22 points and Southern California never trailed in beating Cal State Fullerton, 76-62,  for the Trojans' third straight win at home on Tuesday night.

Omar Oraby had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Julian Jacobs added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Trojans (3-1). They were cheered on by former USC star and current Los Angeles Laker Nick Young.

Freshman Sheldon Blackwell scored a career-high 14 points and Marquis Horne added 10 for the Titans (2-2), who are playing four of their first five games on the road.

Fullerton, of the Big West Conference, fell to 7-36 overall against Pac-12 schools and 5-32 against them on the road.

Wesley started slowly before scoring 13 points in the second half, when Fullerton made its only run. The junior averaged 23.5 points and 10 rebounds and notched his first career double-double in leading USC to a pair of wins last week.

Trailing by 24 points, the Titans rallied to score 14 in a row to pull to within 57-47 midway through the second half. Blackwell scored five in a row and Horne had five, including a 3-pointer.

The Trojans turned the ball over on consecutive offensive fouls, and Nikola Jovanovic and D.J. Haley picked up their fourth and third fouls, respectively, during Fullerton's spurt.

Roschon Prince missed two free throws for USC, stole the ball at the other end and then missed a dunk, continuing USC's series of mistakes.

From there, the Trojans settled down and Pe'Shon Howard hit a 3-pointer in front of their bench to put them ahead 61-47. Howard finished with 11 points and five assists. Oraby scored four in a row, punctuated by a dunk that pushed USC's lead to 73-58 with 3:16 left.

The Titans had four players with three or more fouls, and they committed a season-high 17 turnovers.

The Trojans raced to an 18-3 lead to open the game. Fullerton turned the ball over on its first three possessions and had three other miscues during USC's run.

USC stretched its lead to 45-25 at halftime, helped by 59 percent shooting and a dominating 26-10 edge in the paint. The Titans had 10 turnovers and shot 37 percent from the floor.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.