USC Men's Basketball Prevails at UCLA, 74-63
1/11/2020
LOS ANGELES — Nick Rakocevic had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Jonah Mathews scored 16 and Ethan Anderson had a career-high 14 points as USC took the first of two games over crosstown rival UCLA on Saturday night, 74-63.
It was also the Trojans’ first win in Westwood since the 2015-16 season.
After scoring a season-low 40 points at Washington last Sunday, USC (13-3, 2-1 Pac-12) resurged by shooting 27-of-47 (57.4%) from the field and went 7-for-14 from the 3-point line.
The Trojans’ best work on offense came in the second half as they shot 69.6 percent from the field and hit 5 of 8 3-pointers to close out the game.
"Our players really moved the ball well and we took some great shots," said USC head coach Andy Enfield. "We really took care of the ball. The press kind of bothered us, but it allowed us to score in transition. This is a big win for us. They are an exceptionally talented team, they’ve got great size."
USC had a 35-31 advantage on the boards in a matchup of the Pac-12’s two most prolific rebounding teams. It was the first time the Bruins (8-8, 1-2 Pac-12) were outrebounded all season.
"I really wanted this (win) bad," Rakocevic said. "This game, being a rivalry game, and me not being from here...I’m from Chicago, but it was really important to me to get this win."
USC led for all but 1:24 of the game when both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes. Anderson led the Trojans in the first half by scoring 12 of his 14 points before halftime.
The Trojans slowly extended their lead early in the second half to as much as 14 with 9:03 remaining. UCLA gained momentum late in the game and got within six points at the 4:05 mark before Daniel Utomi hit his third 3-pointer of the night followed by an alley-oop from Onyeka Okongwu.
After four quick points from the Bruins, Mathews hit a key 3-pointer with 1:31 left that forced the Bruins to foul the rest of the game.
USC held off UCLA despite a quiet game from Okongwu, whose four fouls in 24 minutes limited him to only four points, two rebounds and three blocks.
“He struggled because he was in foul trouble," Enfield said. "That can take a toll on you mentally. We are going to definitely need 'Big O' down the line during the season.”
The Trojans return to Galen Center next week after going 2-1 in their opening conference games on the road. They face Cal and Stanford for their first Pac-12 homestand, starting with the Golden Bears on Thursday.
Click Here to purchase tickets to 2019-20 USC home games.
