A strong effort from freshman guard Maurice Jones lifted the University of Southern California to a 86-73 victory over Santa Clara on Monday night in Los Angeles, Calif.

Jones scored a game-high 29 points, shooting 10 for 20 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and he added five assists.

Junior forward Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans, who broke open a close game midway through the second half. Michael Santos' tip gave the Broncos a 52-51 lead with 12:14 left in the game, but the Trojans answered with an 8-0 run capped by Jones' layup. Santa Clara never challenged thereafter.

Sophomore guard Kevin Foster led the Broncos (1-1) with 26 points.

The Trojans, who are 2-0 for second time in the last 10 seasons, will host the Rider Broncos (1-1) on Wednesday night.