Bronny James stats, highlights from USC debut: Points total and more as Trojans fall to Long Beach State in OT

Author Photo
Kyle Irving
and others
• 11 min read
Bronny James
(Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Long Beach State crashed the party in Bronny James' highly anticipated USC debut.

In front of LeBron James and a sold-out Galen Center, the Beach came away with a hard-fought 84-79 victory in overtime after trailing for the majority of the contest.

The crowd erupted with James' every move, exploding on highlight plays like an electrifying chase-down block and a catch-and-shoot 3 in transition for his first college bucket.

MORE: Takeaways from Bronny James' college basketball debut

James was eased back into the rotation in his first game, only playing 16 minutes with a handful of quick stints, but the Trojans' poor free throw shooting sank their hopes of a win. USC missed 16 free throws in the contest, including a few key misses at the end of regulation to give Long Beach State a chance.

The Beach's Marcus Tsohonis provided a massive spark off the bench in the win, going for 28 points with some clutch buckets down the stretch.

If you missed any of the action from Bronny James' USC debut, The Sporting News was in the building at the Galen Center in Los Angeles to provide you with live updates and highlights from all the action.

MORE: Bronny James' 2024 NBA Draft scouting report

USC vs. Long Beach State final score

  1H 2H OT Final
USC 45 29 5 79
Long Beach State 30 34 10 84

Bronny James stats

In 16 minutes: 4 points, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Bronny James updates, highlights from USC vs. Long Beach State

(All times Eastern)

Final: Long Beach State 84, USC 79

6:36 p.m.: Isaiah Collier is denied at the rim by Aboubacar Traore! Marcus Tsohonis sank both free throws and Long Beach State is going to get out of here with a win.

6:33 p.m.: Isaiah Collier goes 1-for-2 from the stripe and Long Beach State's Marcus Tsohonis sinks them both on the other end. USC trails 82-79 with 28 seconds remaining. The Trojans have missed free throws and Collier is 5-for-12 from the line.

6:31 p.m.: Isaiah Collier continues to attack the rim, giving the Trojans a chance in this one. He's stepping to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game with 35.6 seconds to play, trailing 80-78.

6:27 p.m.: Bronny James has checked out of the game with two minutes remaining and USC trailing by three.

6:26 p.m.: Long Beach State scores the first two buckets in overtime to take a 78-76 lead. USC's Kobe Johnson gives the Trojans a little bit of life with a steal and layup in transition to make it a two-point game with 2:18 remaining.

6:23 p.m.: Bronny James remains in the game for USC to start overtime.

End of regulation: USC 74, Long Beach State 74

6:21 p.m.: Isaiah Collier's potential game-winning 3-pointer was blocked by Long Beach State's Jadon Jones at the buzzer. We're headed to overtime!

6:18 p.m.: Marcus Tsohonis ties the game for Long Beach State with 3.9 seconds remaining! 74-74, USC ball coming out of a timeout.

6:18 p.m.: Bronny James missed the first free throw but calmly sank the second one after a timeout. The Trojans lead by two with 20 seconds to play.

6:15 p.m.: Boogie Ellis' clutch layup gave USC a one-point lead with under a minute to go and Bronny James came up with the steal on the other end! James will head to the free throw line with the Trojans leading 73-72 with 21.5 seconds remaining.

6:11 p.m.: Bronny James has collected a pair of rebounds in this stint. The Trojans take a timeout leading by one, 71-70, with under two minutes to play.

6:07 p.m.: Bronny James is checking back into the game and it looks like the freshman guard might close this one out.

6:04 p.m.: We have ourselves a ballgame. USC leads 69-68 with 3:32 to play. Long Beach State will shoot free throws coming out of the under-four media timeout after big man Aboubacar Traore tried to put Vincent Iwuchukwu on a poster.

5:53 p.m.: USC is holding on to a lead, up 61-60 with 7:35 remaining in the game. Vincent Iwuchukwu leads the Trojans with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Isaiah Collier is up to 13 points and four steals. Long Beach State's Marcus Tsohonis is the game's leading scorer with 18 points.

5:46 p.m.: Bronny James heads back to the bench after another quick stint. He has three points, two assists, one rebound and one block in 10 minutes of action.

5:44 p.m.: Long Beach State is making things tough on USC. The Beach have cut the Trojans' lead to just two points with just over 10 minutes to play.

5:37 p.m.: Bronny James for 3... GOOD! James has his first career college bucket on a 3-pointer in transition off an assist from Boogie Ellis.

5:34 p.m.: And Bronny James immediately dishes out an assist in transition to Joshua Morgan after breaking Long Beach State's full-court press.

5:33 p.m.: Bronny James checks in out of the timeout with 14:19 on the clock for his first action of the second half.

5:31 p.m.: Long Beach State is sticking around. USC leads 51-45 with 14:19 to play in the second half. Head coach Andy Enfield takes a timeout to stop the run. Bronny James still has not checked in for the second half yet.

5:24 p.m.: Bronny James has yet to check in for the second half as we enter the under-16 timeout. USC remains in the lead 47-38.

5:14 p.m.: Isaiah Collier is back on the floor to start the second half after heading to the locker room with an apparent leg injury at the end of the first half.

Halftime: USC 45, Long Beach State 30

4:57 p.m.: The first half comes to a close with USC comfortably in front of Long Beach State by 15 points. Bronny James only played two short stints (six minutes) and missed his lone shot attempt, but he made an impact with a highlight-reel block and a nice assist.

Isaiah Collier and Vincent Iwuchukwu lead the way for the Trojans with 10 points apiece. More to come on Collier's apparent injury in the second half.

4:53 p.m.: Isaiah Collier bulldozed his way to another layup but the potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was slow to get up. He eventually walked off the court without any assistance but he is headed back to the locker room a minute early.

4:46 p.m.: And Bronny James checks back out after another quick stint with under four minutes to play in the half. USC leads 37-24.

4:45 p.m.: On the very next possession, Bronny James was patient on a dribble drive and threaded the needle on a bounce pass to his big man Vincent Iwuchukwu for an assist. He's starting to get comfortable out there.

4:42 p.m.: Bronny James with a monster chasedown block after hustling back in transition! The USC crowd exploded for the star freshman's first highlight reel play of the game.

4:37 p.m.: Bronny James has checked back into the game with under six minutes remaining in the half.

4:31 p.m.: Isaiah Collier, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is terrorizing Long Beach State in transition. He's up to six points to give USC a 29-16 lead with 7:46 to play in the half.

4:27 p.m.: It was a quick stint for Bronny James, who checks out with 9:27 to play in the first half. He tallied one rebound but missed his lone 3-point attempt. The Galen Center crowd is roaring every single time he touches the ball, even guarding on defense or grabbing rebounds. USC leads 27-16.

4:21 p.m.: Bronny James has checked into the game and he immediately disrupts Long Beach State's Varick Lewis, nearly causing a turnover. USC forced a shot clock violation on his first defensive possession.

4:14 p.m.: USC leads 14-7 at the under-16 media timeout. Senior guard Boogie Ellis buried a smooth stepback 3 to extend the Trojans' lead. Bronny James, who is coming off the bench in his debut, has yet to check in with 15:41 to play in the first half.

4:06 p.m.: And we're underway. USC wins the tip and Vincent Iwuchukwu throws down an alley-oop from Kobe Johnson to get things going.

Pregame

4:03 p.m.: The USC student section erupts as LeBron James walks in with his daughter, Zhuri, just before the national anthem. The King is in the building.

3:44 p.m.: Bronny James looks ready to go. Throwing down an alley-oop with ease during warmups.

2:46 p.m.: Bronny James is on the court warming up for his college debut. 

12 p.m.: Bronny is officially available for today's game.

What channel is USC vs. Long Beach St. on today?

  • TV channel: Pac-12 Network
  • Live stream: Sling TV

USC vs. Long Beach St. will air on Pac-12 Network. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the biggest games of the 2023-24 college basketball season on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Sling base packages (Sling Orange or Sling Blue) start at just $20 for your first month, or you can get Sling Orange + Blue starting at $27.50 for your first month.

There are no long-term contracts, and you can change your channel lineup anytime. DVR is included along with thousands of on-demand shows and movies.

WATCH LIVE WITH

STREAM NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES LIVE

ENJOY YOUR FIRST SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENT AT HALF PRICE.

AS LOW AS $20 FOR YOUR FIRST MONTH

USC vs. Long Beach St. start time

  • Date: Sunday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 4 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. PT

USC vs. Long Beach St. will tip off around 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 10. The game will be played at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

USC basketball schedule 2023-24

Here are the Trojans' next five games of the 2023-24 season:

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV channel
Dec. 10 vs. Long Beach St. 4 p.m. Pac-12 Network
Dec. 17 at Auburn 1 p.m. ESPN
Dec. 19 at Alabama State 7 p.m. —
Dec. 28 at Oregon 9 p.m. ESPN2
Dec. 30 at Oregon State 10 p.m. —

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >

Author(s)
Kyle Irving Photo
Kyle Irving

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.