Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas scored career highs of 32 and 30 points, respectively, as No. 21 Southern California held off Wichita State, 93-86, on Sunday in Stateline, Nevada.
The Trojans (2-0) weathered a poor night of shooting from 3-point range, going just 2-for-14 from deep, leaning instead on Rice and Arenas.
The backcourt duo shot a combined 16-for-35 from the floor to buoy USC. Both were also excellent at the free-throw line, which played a critical part in the Trojans keeping the Shockers at bay.
Wichita State (1-1) had multiple opportunities to chip into the deficit down the stretch, but the Shockers missed foul shots at critical junctures. They finished 25-for-36 from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, Arenas made 12 of 14 free throws and Rice sank 17 of 18, including all four of his attempts in the final minute.
Rice came up clutch repeatedly for the Trojans, providing some breathing room with 1:52 remaining when he connected on a midrange jumper. The basket pushed the USC lead to six, and Wichita State got no closer than three the rest of the way.
The Shockers jumped on the Trojans early with a 3-point barrage. Wichita State shot 9-for-19 from beyond the arc for the game, with seven makes in the first half.
The initial flurry of triples put the Shockers ahead by as many as 11 before USC whittled the gap down to two by halftime.
Michael Gray Jr., who shot 5-for-8 from downtown, led Wichita State with 18 points. Jordan Frison and Will Berg each added 17 points, and Berg grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
USC’s Adonis Ratliff hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points. Darius Ratliff finished with seven points, including a banked-in 3-pointer late in the second half.