Los Angeles, Calif. The Citadel Basketball held Southern Cal to a single-digit lead for most of the first half, but a game plagued by turnovers and fouls on both ends did not end in the Bulldogs' favor as The Citadel recorded a 74-58 loss on Tuesday night at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
Senior guard Donny McLendon opened the night with a three-point shot to put the first points on the board for either team at 19:44, setting a tone for the Bulldogs that the final game of a five-game road trip may end differently for the team that was searching for their first road win. With The Citadel up 3-0, the Trojans quickly answered with two layups and a jumper, making the score 6-3 by 19:13, taking the lead for what ended up being the remainder of the game.
A layup by senior guard Kevin Hammack, followed by a Southern Cal foul on Abdoulaye N'Diaye that sent McLendon to the foul line for three made shots and a three-pointer by sophomore Vytautas Valiulis put the Bulldogs back in the game, slimming the Trojan lead to three points at 16-13 at 11:03 in the half. The Citadel managed to keep the Southern Cal lead in single-digits until a Lodrick Stewart layup at 6:58 put the Trojans up by 10 at 29-19. Southern Cal extended their lead to as much as 12 points, ending the first half up, 39-27.
While the Bulldogs only hit 7-of-16 shots, shooting 43.8 percent in the half, their free-throw shooting kept them in the game, connecting on 10-of-11 from the line, a season best at 90.9 percent for the first half. However, the Trojans shot 14-of-21 from the field for 66.7 percent, while also hitting one less free throw at 9-of-11 for 81.8 percent.
Coming out in the second half, it appeared that senior forward J'Mel Everhart was going to have another second half run after scoring quickly, recording his first points of the night at 18:54. However, Southern Cal dominated the boards, and Nick Young, who totaled 19 first half points for the Trojans, added a couple of field goals to a Dwight Lewis three-pointer at 11:45 to put the Trojans up, 55-33, extending their lead to 22.
As the Bulldogs continued to turnover the ball over, Southern Cal extended their second half lead to as much as 26 with under nine minutes left in the game. The Citadel was able to bring the lead back down to 14 after several made free throws followed by a couple of field goals and a three-pointer by Hammack at 1:21 left in the game. Hammack, who led the Bulldogs with 14 second half points, followed a Ryan Wetherall jumper at 1:10 with a long three-pointer at the buzzard that did not count, making the final score 74-58.
Both teams suffered in turnovers as The Citadel recorded 23 turnovers resulting in 29 Southern Cal points, while the Trojan's put 26 turnovers on the board resulting in 24 Bulldog points. Although junior forward Demetrius Nelson was the only player to foul out of the game, each team 23 fouls for the night.
Hammack led The Citadel in scoring with 17 points in 28 minutes, while Young led the Trojans with 24 points in 25 minutes of play.
The Citadel dropped to 1-5 overall and will return home for Thanksgiving to host Asbury on Friday, Nov. 24 at McAlister Field House at 1:05 p.m. For more information on Bulldog Basketball, go to www.CitadelSports.com.
