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Adonis Ratliff and Alijah Arenas power No. 21 USC to 95-63 win over Milwaukee
Adonis Ratliff led USC’s freshman class with 25 points, and the Trojans shot 56.9% while never trailing in a season-opening rout.
On Monday, USC defeated Milwaukee 95-63 at the Galen Center to open their season, with freshman Adonis Ratliff scoring 25 points in his collegiate debut and Alijah Arenas adding 21 points and eight rebounds.
Head coach Eric Musselman built the roster around three sons of former NBA All-Stars: freshmen Adonis and Darius Ratliff are sons of Theo Ratliff, while Arenas is the son of Gilbert Arenas.
USC shot 56.9% from the field and surged ahead on a 15-0 run midway through the first half, holding Milwaukee scoreless for over seven minutes to secure a 46-29 halftime lead.
Darius Ratliff anchored the defense with five blocked shots, while Rodney Rice returned from a shoulder injury to score 15 points and KJ Lewis added 10 points off the bench.
The Trojans head to the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic in Nevada to face Wichita State on Sunday, building on a third consecutive season-opening win under Musselman, who holds a 10-1 opener record.