Bronny James Goes Scoreless, Boogie Ellis Stars as USC Beats ASU for 2nd Straight Win

Boogie Ellis' stellar night carried USC to an 81-73 victory over Arizona State as it looks to build positive momentum going into the Pac-12 tournament.

The fifth-year senior scored a game-high 28 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three in 26 minutes. It was the third time he has scored at least 24 points in the past five games. He only reached that mark four times in the Trojans' first 21 games.

Ellis scored or assisted on 25 of USC's 49 points in the second half to help the team pull away.

Bronny James' struggles down the stretch this season continued. The freshman guard was held scoreless for the second straight game and went 0-of-2 from the field. He had two assists, one rebound and one steal in 16 minutes.

This is the second time this season that James has failed to make a basket and score in consecutive games.

Jose Perez led Arizona State with 25 points. The Bronx native made all 11 of his free-throw attempts. The Sun Devils were successful on 18.8 percent of their three-pointers (3-of-16).

USC has won two straight three of its last four games. Head coach Andy Enfield's team will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they host No. 5 Arizona at the Galen Center. The Wildcats won the first meeting between these two teams 82-67 on Jan. 17.

The Wildcats have won six straight games against their Pac-12 rivals. USC's last victory was on Jan. 7, 2021.

USC is on track to be the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 tournament but could climb as high as No. 9 if it defeats Arizona and Arizona State loses to UCLA.