Arenas’ debut not pretty, but exciting as USC come up short against Northwestern 74-68
USC Trojans #0 Alijah Arenas (G) his first game of the season is dribbling the ball up court while looking over the Northwestern Wildcats’ defense at the Galen Center. Photo by Mark Hammond/BNS January 21, 2026.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Finally, the moment Trojans fans were waiting for, Five-Star, All-American freshman superstar Alijah Arenas debut, scoring 8 points on 3 for 15 shooting, Jordan Marsh with 19 points, Ezra Ausar with 17 points, Chad Baker-Mazara with 14 points, and Jacob Cofie with 9 points, came up short and lost to the Northwestern Wildcats at the Galen Center 74 -68, ending their nine game losing streak.
It was their second loss at home after losing to Purdue a few days earlier. The Trojans struggled at the free-throw line, going 26 for 43, compared to the Wildcats' 15 of 18, and just couldn’t get stops and baskets in the last two minutes of the second half.
USC jumped out on Maryland 3-0 with a three-pointer from the top of the key by Chad Baker-Mazara. Alijah Arenas got his first assist of the game when he passed the ball to Chad Baker-Mazara for a three-point shot to give USC a 6-3 lead.
Arenas scored his first collegiate basket with a jump shot in front of Northwestern bench, giving the Trojans an 8-7 lead with 16:25 remaining on the clock. The fans got a taste of what to come from Arenas after he faked out a Northwestern defender and finished the drive with a spin move for a finger roll layup to give USC a 14-9 lead.
The Trojans led by seven points, 18-11, with a jump shot by Jacob Cofie. The Wildcats trailed 20-19 after going on an 8-2 run, with Jake West going up for a layup. Northwestern took the lead 25-24 after a turnover by USC and a two-handed dunk by West. USC tied the game 25-25 with a free throw by Jacob Cofie.
The Wildcats regained the lead 28-25 with a three-pointer by West. The Trojans trailed 28-27 with a layup shot by Ezra Ausar. USC would tie the game 28-28 with a free throw by Jerry Easter II. The Trojans trailed at halftime 31-28 with a three-point shot by Nick Martinelli before the buzzer went off.
Cofie led the Trojans in scoring in the first half with 9 points, followed by Baker-Mazara with 8 points, and Arenas with 6 points. West led the Wildcats with 7 points, and Nick Martinelli and Max Green both had 5 points.
USC Trojans #2 Ezra Ausar (F) after receiving a pass from his teammate Chad Baker-Mazara, went up for a two-handed monster dunk against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Galen Center. Photo by Mark Hammond/BNS January 21, 2026.
The Trojans trailed at the start of the second half, 33-30, with a jump shot by Arenas. USC would trail Northwestern 35-32, thanks to a monster-dunk by Ausar.
Arenas would get fouled on a three-point shot, and went to the free throw line for three shots, took one free throw before leaving with (knee soreness), and Marsh had to come and shoot the next two, making the score 37-34 in favor of Northwestern.
The Wildcats pushed their lead up to eight points, 46-38, with a basket by Martinelli. Baker-Mazara drove to the basket and went up for a layup that had the Trojans down 48-45. Marsh would speed down the court for a quick layup, and USC now trailed 52-49.
Marsh, continued carrying the Trojans on his back, pulled up for a jump shot to make the score 56-53, in favor of the Wildcats, with 7:50 left in the game. USC found themselves down by two points, 57-55, after two free throws by Ausar.
Martinelli went to the basket and fouled on his made layup, and completed the and one to give the Wildcats a 60-55 lead. USC would steal the ball, and Marsh would race down the court and go up for a left-handed layup, making the score 60-59. Maryland would go on a 5-0 run to lead 65-59 with a basket by Martinelli.
Marsh would slash to the basket for a layup, and USC now trailed 65-63 with 2:47 left in the game. Northwestern would hold USC to just five points in that stretch, and came away with a 74-68 win, their first in the Big Ten Conference (1-7), and the Trojans fell to (3-5).
Martinelli led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points, and Jake West and Tyler Kropp each had 11 points, Max Green with 9 points, and Arrinten Page with 8 points.