USC vs. Coppin State recap: Trojans open season with 87-73 win

The USC Trojans men's basketball team opened its season with a win on Friday, knocking off Coppin State 87-73.

The Trojans started the game with strong defense, holding Coppin State scoreless for more than four minutes to start. The game remained fairly close during the early stages of the first half, but USC began to extend its lead late in the first half and took a 40-30 lead into halftime.

USC opened the second half on a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 17 and essentially put the game away. Coppin State continued to pressure the Trojans, but were never able to pull closer than 12 points during the second half. Sophomore guard Byron Wesley led the Trojans with 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Playing his first game with the Trojans, junior guard J.T. Terrell also scored 17 points.

The Trojans held a major advantage on the glass, out rebounding Coppin State 43-24. Both Dewayne Dedmon and Aaron Fuller finished with double-digit rebounds. Dedmon pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds while Fuller finished with 10 rebounds.