After a five-game losing streak, Penn State headed west to the Galen Center to play its second Big Ten expansion opponent, but this time on the road versus USC for a primetime game.
The blue and white weren’t able to overcome USC’s top-level talent, losing the first leg of its West Coast trip, 95-73.
The Nittany Lions entered this matchup with a chip on their shoulder after falling short to the Trojans 71-70 last season. JuJu Watkins was no stranger to this Penn State team, although that didn’t matter.
Penn State was without its starting guard, Jayla Oden, who remained in State College due to precautionary medical reasons related to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.