LOS ANGELES — The USC men’s basketball team blew a 14-point lead in the first half but made a 10-0 run of their own to begin the second half to seize control in a 62-56 win in a crosstown rivalry game at UCLA Saturday night.
The Bruins clawed back to tie the game at 34 at halftime but could not sustain that momentum in front of a sold-out crowd for the first time all season at Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans countered and began the second half on a 16-3 surge in the first 10 minutes after halftime, establishing a 50-37 lead with 9:41 to go. UCLA ended up shooting 28% in the second half, only making 7 of their final 25 shots.
However, a layup by sophomore forward Adem Bona and two free throws by freshman guard Sebastian Mack made it 60-53 with 1:30 to go. USC freshman guard Isaiah Collier made one of two free throws, which left the door open for UCLA, although they trailed 61-53 with 1:01 to go. UCLA freshman forward Berke Buyuktuncel missed a 3-pointer with 46 seconds to go. Mack drained a 3-pointer to make it a 62-56 game with 8.8 seconds to go, which ended up being the final score after USC inbounded the ball and ran out the final seconds.
Senior guard Boogie Ellis scored USC’s first seven points on his way to a game-high 24 points and five rebounds. Collier had 11 points. Junior guard Kobe Johnson added 10 points. The Trojans, who split the season series 1-1 with the Bruins with each team winning on the other’s home floor, improved to 11-16 overall and 5-11 in the Pac-12.
Bona led UCLA (14-13 overall, 9-7 4th place in Pac-12) with 14 points and three rebounds. Mack had 12 points. Junior forward Lazar Stefanovic had 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman center Aday Mara was a bright spot in the second half. He scored all 10 of his points after halftime, which kept UCLA within striking distance.
Bona went inside early and drew an early foul on USC senior center Joshua Morgan with 19:20 left in the first half. The 6-foot-10 power forward made both free throws, which put the Bruins up 2-0.
Both teams were rusty for several minutes after tipoff, indicated by UCLA’s narrow 5-4 with 15:43 left in the first. At the time USC was shooting 28.6% from the field (2 of 7). The Bruins were not faring any better, shooting 20% from the field (1 of 5).
Stefanovic drained three free throws to tie the game at 10 with 13:31 remaining in the first.
Sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu’s layup put USC up 20-12 midway through the first.
Ellis continued pouring it on scoring 17 of the Trojans’ first 25 points, to give them an 11-point lead at the 8:34 mark. USC freshman guard Bronny James’ floater in the paint made it 27-14. James finished with two points, two rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. He did not play in the second half.
Meanwhile, a 3-pointer by junior guard Kobe Johnson extended USC’s advantage to 33-19 with 5:41 to go before halftime.
The Bruins responded with a 15-1 run over the final 5:08 to close out the first half.
Bona began the surge by scoring four straight points via free throws and a second-chance layup, to make it 33-23 with 4:09 left before halftime. Buyuktuncel’s up-and-under layup cut it to 33-25. Stefanovic’s layup and corner 3-pointer, cut it to 34-30, which turned up the volume inside Pauley Pavilion. Bona’s putback slam dunk made it 34-32. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack’s putback tied the game at 34 with 11 seconds to go before halftime.
Ellis had 18 points in the first half. Bona and Stefanovic each had 10 points in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Trojans shot 50% from beyond the arc (7 of 14) in the first half.
USC began the second half on a 10-0 run, establishing a 44-34 lead at the 15:11 mark. Mara made one of two free throws, to cut it 44-35. The 7-foot-3 freshman followed that up with a mid-rise sky hook, to pull within 44-37. Back-to-back layups by Collier and USC senior forward DJ Rodman, put the Trojans back up double digits, 48-37 with 11:32 to go.
Bona kept battling and threw down a dunk, which made it 50-39. However, Bona and USC freshman forward Arrinten Page received double technical fouls after being tangled up after battling for a loose ball with 8:46 remaining. Page made both his free throws to go 52-39 after being fouled by UCLA sophomore guard Will McClendon before the tussle. Mara’s three-point play cut it to 52-42. Mara made two free throws on the next possession, pulling within 52-44. Another sky hook by Mara cut it to 55-48 with 6:10 to go.
Johnson’s fast-break dunk off a bounce pass from Ellis put USC up 57-48 with 4:25 to go. Johnson’s wide-open corner 3-pointer made it 60-49, with 2:55 to go, as the home crowd began trickling out of Pauley Pavilion.
UP NEXT
USC will play at Washington State on Thursday.
UCLA will play at Washington on Thursday.
Related Articles
UCLA football reportedly close to hiring Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator
UCLA gymnastics still looking to floor the competition
UCLA men’s basketball vs. USC: What you need to know
Londynn Jones’ career night helps UCLA women get payback against Utah
UCLA women’s basketball’s defense is rooted in passion plays