Alijah Arenas Struggles in USC Debut as Trojans Fall to Northwestern

Описание: The long-awaited debut of Alijah Arenas finally arrived Wednesday night — but it was a challenging first outing for the highly touted freshman.

Arenas finished with eight points in USC Trojans’ 74–68 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats, shooting 3-for-15 from the field, missing all six three-point attempts, and struggling at the free-throw line. He logged 29 minutes in his first college game after months of recovery.

The debut marked a major milestone after Arenas’ long road back, which included recovery from a serious car crash last spring and knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Head coach Eric Musselman praised Arenas’ basketball IQ and energy upon his return to practice, but Wednesday’s game showed the challenge of shaking off rust in the middle of Big Ten play.

As the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, expectations were high, but USC and Arenas will now focus on growth, rhythm, and consistency as conference play continues.

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