UCLA vs. USC: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The UCLA Bruins may be No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25, but the USC Trojans were kings of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

USC defended home-court advantage and beat their cross-city rivals, 84-76. Arash Markazi of ESPN.com noted it was the Trojans' fourth straight win over the Bruins in the series. USC is now 18-4 overall and 5-4 in Pac-12 play, while UCLA dropped to 19-3 overall and 6-3 in the conference.

The contest continued a week of upsets in college basketball. Georgia Tech beat No. 6 Florida State on Wednesday and North Carolina State beat No. 17 Duke on Monday. Tuesday saw three head-turning results when Marquette beat No. 1 Villanova, West Virginia beat No. 2 Kansas and Tennessee beat No. 4 Kentucky.

USC set the tone with its defense and forced 17 UCLA turnovers (12 of them off steals) and held the visitors to a mere 6-of-20 shooting from three-point range. On the other side, the Trojans shot 14-of-34 (41.2 percent) from deep and assisted on 20 of their 27 made field goals with just nine turnovers.

Rob Dauster of NBCSports.com tweeted: "It's really surprising that UCLA's struggling with the USC zone. All those shooters and three PGs on the floor, you'd think it wouldn't work."

That zone allowed USC to establish control, and it took advantage on offense with five players in double figures. Shaqquan Aaron led the way off the bench with 23 points and four made three-pointers, while De'Anthony Melton stuffed the box score with 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.

Sam Vecenie of Sporting News had high praise for the guard:

"

Think De’Anthony Melton has been the best player on the floor this half, FWIW. Ball’s a monster, but he’s turned it over 5 times.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 26, 2017"

Melton also had an impressive play in the open floor early in the game, which FS1 captured:

Elijah Stewart filled the box score as well with 15 points, four assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while Jordan McLaughlin chipped in 10 points and eight assists. Chimezie Metu added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Isaac Hamilton spearheaded UCLA's attack with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and Lonzo Ball had 15 points and 10 rebounds but also turned it over seven times. Aaron Holiday (15 points) and Thomas Welsh (13 points and seven rebounds) also scored in double figures.

Despite the loss, it appeared as if UCLA would run away with the game when it scored the opening eight points and then built a 20-10 advantage with a Ball dunk. However, USC responded with a 6-0 run and gradually climbed back into the game before Aaron's three gave it a 29-28 lead with less than eight minutes until halftime.

The shot kicked off an 11-0 spurt for the Trojans, and they ultimately took a 50-38 lead into the half after Stewart's buzzer-beating three, which FS1 shared:

USC largely kept UCLA at bay in the second half, but a 7-0 Bruins run made it 60-56. A Ball three then made it 63-59, but McLaughlin responded with a three of his own. 

UCLA never got any closer than five for the rest of the game, and USC ensured there was no drama at the end by consistently answering any mini spurt from the visitors.

What's Next?

UCLA continues its three-game road trip with contests against Washington State and Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 4, respectively. The Bruins have now lost two in a row following a defeat to Arizona as well and will need to turn things around if they plan on winning the Pac-12 title.

USC also hits the road for two against Washington (Wednesday, Feb. 1) and Washington State (Saturday, Feb. 4). The Trojans will look to build on Wednesday's win as they battle for positioning in the conference and NCAA tournament seeding picture.