USC falls to Long Beach State in Bronny James debut

USC‘s matchup with Long Beach State on Sunday marked the collegiate debut of Bronny James, but unfortunately for the Trojans, they were not able to take home the win losing in overtime 84-79 at home.

James was on a minutes restriction, with Sunday marking the first game of his college career after suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest in early July during the Trojans’ offseason workouts. He came off of the bench and logged 17 minutes scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds, and serving up two assists in the Galen Center with his father LeBron James in attendance.

James only attempted three shot attempts on the day, which were all from behind the three-point line, but offensively he displayed his passing ability and athleticism throughout the game. The defensive side of the floor is where he truly shined on Sunday, playing tight defense throughout the game highlighted by his two steals and a highlight reel-worthy chase-down block that was reminiscent of his father.

The Trojans entered the first half with a 15-point lead over Long Beach State only for the Beach to score 44 second-half points to take the game into overtime. Beach guard Marcus Tsohonis scored 28 points off of the bench including the game-tying basket with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game to force overtime, where he’d score six of Long Beach State’s 10 overtime points to secure the win.

Isaiah Collier and Vincent Iwuchukwu both had 15 points in the game to tie the USC team lead for the game, with Collier adding an impressive five steals to his stat line as well.

It will be interesting to see how James’ role on the team evolves as the season moves along with him now being inserted into the lineup in the Trojans’ ninth game of the season in his freshman year. The guard from Cleveland played his high school hoops at Sierra Canyon in California, where he the was the No. 25 overall recruit and the No. 6 ranked point guard in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The loss marks USC’s third in their last four games, dropping their record to 5-4 on the season. But they thankfully get a week off, facing Auburn next Sunday on December 17 in their next matchup which tips off at 1 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.