LOS ANGELES, CA — USC Men’s Basketball had their offense firing on all cylinders Wednesday afternoon, and it couldn’t have come at a better time as the Trojans were facing the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 2025 Maui Invitational Championship.
Head coach Eric Musselman and USC landed in Hawaii this past weekend with one mission—winning the Maui Invitational—and were able to accomplish their goal behind a strong performance from Chad Baker-Mazara, defeating Arizona State, 88-75.
With the six-seven forward hailing from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic leading USC to victory, it marked the Trojans’ first time winning a multi-team event since winning the Diamond Head Classic title in 2017.
“I just told the team, when they have some downtime in the next 48 hours, check out who’s won this thing and look at what they’ve gone on to do,” Musselman said in the postgame. “Because the history of this tournament is incredible.”
Wednesday’s first half was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging buckets—mostly from long range. Rodney Rice, who scored 27 points in the quarterfinal win over Boise State, was not in the starting lineup and was listed as questionable after injuring his shoulder in the semifinal matchup vs. Seton Hall.
With Rice out, Baker-Mazara stepped up early, leading USC in first-half scoring with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while knocking down 60% of his attempts from three.
Chad Baker-Mazara of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic led the Trojans with 23 points in the 2025 Maui Invitational Championship vs. Arizona State – Image Credit: USC Men’s Basketball
Senior forward Jaden Brownell added a boost as well, logging 15 first-half minutes, hitting 50% from deep, and putting up 10 points.
USC seized control in the second half on both offense and defense as Baker-Mazara stayed hot, adding 12 more points after the break to finish with a team-high 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three, along with four assists and three rebounds.
Brownell kept pace behind him, ending the game with a season-best 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Jaden Brownell added a boost for USC on Wednesday with 16 points, shooting 6/11 from the field – Image Credit: USC Men’s Basketball
The Trojans shot efficiently overall and also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Arizona State, 32-21.
Additionally, Jacob Cofie led USC with a team-high of eight rebounds.
Baker-Mazara named 2025 Maui Invitational MVP
Baker-Mazara, compiling 52 points and 11 rebounds across all three games, was named the MVP of the tournament, and became the first collegiate player ever to win multiple Maui Invitationals as the Dominican star won it a year ago with the Auburn Tigers.
USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara, the first-ever collegiate player to win multiple Maui Invitationals, was named the MVP of the tournament after compiling 52 points and 11 rebounds across all three games vs. Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State – Image Credit: USC Men’s Basketball
“Thanks to the guys and the coach for putting us in position to be able to become successful,” he said. “You know, I really feel amazing right now. Got our job done. Coach is proud of us, family, proud of us. You know, I’m feeling on top of the world right now.”
Looking Ahead
Still undefeated at 7-0 overall with the Big Ten regular season approaching, USC will return to the mainland and get a short break before heading to Eugene to face conference foe, the Oregon Ducks, on Tuesday, December 2nd.
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