Los Angeles, LA – USC defeated Iowa 99-89 on Tuesday night, with standout performances from Desmond Claude and Saint Thomas leading the way. Claude scored 25 points, including 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, while Thomas added 24 points, going 9-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range.
Wesley Yates III poured in 21 points, and Chibuzo Agbo chipped in with 18 for the Trojans. USC shot an impressive 64.9% from the hardwood (37 of 57) and 66.7% from beyond the arc (10 of 15).
For Iowa, Owen Freeman led the team with 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Payton Sandfort scored 20 points, Drew Thelwell finished with 16, and Josh Dix poured in 13, but it wasn’t enough to overcome USC’s shooting performance.

The Trojans (11-6, 3-3 in Big Ten) never trailed in the game. Iowa (12-5, 3-3) saw its two-game winning streak come to an end.
USC built a commanding 48-32 lead at halftime after a 10-5 run in the final minutes of the first half. Iowa made a push in the second half, with Thelwell’s layup at 6:07 cutting the deficit to 81-74. He later added two free throws, another layup, and two more foul shots to bring Iowa within 85-80, but they were unable to close the gap further.
Next, Iowa will remain in Los Angeles to face UCLA on Friday, while USC will host 24th-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday.