USC basketball: Trojans lead Arizona State 23-16 at halftime

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The Coliseum isn’t far, so get these two teams on the gridiron and trade in their sneakers for cleats. Some pads might help, too.

USC and Arizona State are locked in a brutal defensive battle, and there are a lot of bodies hitting the floor in the first half tonight, with USC leading 23-16.

Both teams came in ranked third nationally in scoring defense (55.8 points per game), so this was never expected to be a pinball game of offense.

It’s Arizona State’s lowest first-half point total of the season. It’s USC’s second-lowest, after an 18-point first half against Western Michigan.

With the score tied at 12, USC went on a 11-1 run, largely behind its defense, which forced Arizona State into consecutive shot-clock violations.

USC made nine of 22 shots from the field (41%) while Arizona State made six of 20 (30%).

Point guard Mike Gerrity leads the Trojans with five points. Jamelle McMillian leads ASU with eight points.

-- Baxter Holmes