UCLA Basketball: Bruins Defeat USC To Proceed in Pac-12 Tournament

UCLA 55, USC 40

The Bruins got off to a slow start in their first Pac-12 Tournament game against cross-town rival USC, leading by a mere point against a Trojan team that went 1-17 in conference play this season.

UCLA’s stagnant first half presented the Trojans with the opportunity to hold their first halftime lead in 19 games, but managed to lead at the half after a missed layup by USC’s Eric Strangis.

Despite a lethargic and sloppy game from UCLA in the first half, the Bruins spurted out to a 20-8 run to start the second half and created an insurmountable lead that would send them into the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Coach Ben Howland didn’t play center Josh Smith in the first half, which raised concerns as to whether Smith was under disciplinary suspension.

While it was not made clear if Smith’s first half benching was a disciplinary action or rather a strategic move to reserve the center for the remaining Pac-12 Tournament games, Smith was put on the court in the second half.

Although they pulled away with a win, the Bruins demonstrated sloppy play throughout the game and didn’t dominate USC despite winning by a sizable margin with a season-low 55 points.

With a win this afternoon, UCLA secures its largest win streak during conference play with its third consecutive win after a successful home stint against Washington and Washington State.

The Numbers:

Team	FG%	3P%	FT%	REB	TO	PF
UCLA	33.9	26.7	86.7	38	11	16
USC	28.8	13.3	61.5	28	11	13

Top Performers:

UCLA: Lazeric Jones (15 PTS  2 AST)

USC: Byron Wesley (13 PTS 8 REB)

Next Game: vs. Arizona Thursday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m. PT on FSN

Prediction: UCLA split its conference series with Arizona, winning at home and losing on the road.

The Wear twins stepped up big in their first contest, scoring 34 of the Bruins’ 65 points in a game in which Josh Smith did not play.

If UCLA is going to pull through to the semifinals, it is going to have to buckle down on defense and shut down senior guard Kyle Fogg, who scored 20 points with nine rebounds.

The Bruins have the edge coming into tomorrow’s game, as Arizona’s starting freshman guard Josiah Turner has just been suspended by Coach Sean Miller for disciplinary issues.

Nevertheless, both teams are hoping to secure a NCAA Tournament bid by winning the conference tournament and it is set to be a very close game. 

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