GAME NOTES: With a four-game win streak in tow, the USC Trojans will take on the Utah State Aggies in a non-conference collision at the Galen Center on Sunday.

Utah State brings a three-game losing streak into this contest, having fallen to Mississippi State (71-63), UC Davis (77-70 OT) and BYU (91-81) in its last three contests. The Aggies did win their first three games of the season. They will have another chance to improve their standing against Utah Valley next time out.

USC appeared to be set for a miserable start to the campaign, having lost three of their first four games, including a 70-58 disappointment against Portland State in the season opener. However, the Trojans have resurrected their campaign with wins in each of their last four games, including a 77-61 triumph against Loyola Marymount in this three-game homestand, which concludes against Army next Saturday.

These teams kicked off their respective seasons against one another last year, with the Aggies taking a 78-65 victory at home. USC still leads the all-time series, 6-5.

Utah State got itself caught up in a shootout with BYU, with Chris Smith and Darius Perkins going toe-to-toe with BYU's Tyler Haws and Kyle Collinsworth. Although Perkins and Smith combined for 46 points, it was not enough to take down the Cougars, who got 55 points from Haws and Collinsworth, 35 of which came from Haws. Utah State only made 39.4 percent of their shots as a team, although it did sinking 34-of-39 at the free-throw line.

The Aggies are not normally so offensively potent, as they are averaging 67.7 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting. They have not always had to put up 81 points either, with opponents netting just 68.2 points on 39.5 percent accuracy. The starting lineup is filled with scoring options for the Aggies, with Jalen Moore (14.7 ppg, 7 rpg), Smith (13.2 ppg), Perkins (12.8 ppg) and David Collette (12.2 ppg) all capable of carrying the offensive load for long stretches. However, the team suffers from a lack of depth, with not a single reserve adding more than a couple of points per game.

USC's win over Loyola Marymount was a simple case of one team out-shooting the other. The Trojans knocked down 46.8 percent of their shots from the field, while limiting the Lions to a 36.8 percent success rate. In just about every other area, the teams were even including rebounds and turnovers, with USC winning the battle of the boards (41-40) and having 13 giveaways to 16 from the Lions. Jordan McLaughlin finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting to pace the Trojans.

The Trojans have been much better on defense than offense in general. They are allowing only 62.1 points per game on 38.2 percent shooting, but that is coupled with rather meager numbers on the other end (64.1 ppg, .404 FG percentage). McLaughlin (11.9 ppg, 5.5 apg) is the only player on the roster averaging in double figures, while maintaining an impressive rate of assists as well. Darion Clark (8.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Nikola Jovanovic (9.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) are not potent scorers, but they do excellent work on the glass.

While the offensive improvements Utah State exhibited against BYU are promising, they won't mean much against a streaking USC team, which plays tight on defense.