SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Taj Gibson scored 17 points to lead No. 19 Southern Calirfornia to a 73-46 win against Chattanooga in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Friday night.
Gibson also grabbed 15 rebounds and five blocks for the Trojans (3-1), who played a strong second half to claim the win. Southern Cal was upended by unranked Seton Hall 63-61 on Thursday night.
Dwight Lewis scored 16 points, DeMar DeRozan chipped in 13 and Daniel Hackett had 10 points and nine assists.
Leonard Washington also scored nine points and had 12 rebounds for Southern Cal, which outrebounded Chattanooga 57-32.
Nicchaeus Doaks led the Mocs (0-4) with 14 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Stephen McDowell chipped in 10.
Southern Cal shot 40.6 percent (26 of 64) form the field for the game compared to a 25.9 percent (15 of 58) for the Mocs. The Trojans outrebounded the Mocs 57-32 in the game, scored 30 points in the paint and hit 18 of their 25 free throws. The Mocs were 10-for-18 from the line.
The Trojans led by 10 points at halftime, but outscored the Mocs 34-17 in the second. The second-half Trojans run included a 15-7 run from the midway point of the period until the end of the game. Chattanooga made just three field goals in the second half, including a 1-for-14 mark from behind the arc. As a team, the Trojans registered 10 blocks.
Gibson scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the second half for Southern Cal. He is averaging 18 points and 16.5 rebounds over the last two games of the tournament for the Trojans.
The final day of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament takes place on Sunday.
