USC
21-9,13-6Pac-12
Arizona
25-5,14-5Pac-12
USC Men's Basketball Falls To No. 8 Arizona, 87-81, Despite Boogie Ellis' Career-High 35
March 02, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES — Boogie Ellis scored a career-high 35 points, but it wasn't enough as USC men's basketball fell to No. 8 Arizona 87-81 on Thursday night.
Ellis exploded for 22 points in the second half and shot 6-of-11 from the 3-point line despite dealing with foul trouble the entire game. The senior guard eventually fouled out in the final seconds of the game.
BOOGIE MF ELLIS❗️
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) March 3, 2023
📺: ESPN
📱: https://t.co/uHFhiCey3c pic.twitter.com/JaP3ALtVFc
Reese Dixon-Waters finished with 17 points with six rebounds. Kobe Johnson scored 14 with six assists. Joshua Morgan grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.
The loss locks the Trojans (21-9, 13-6 Pac-12) into the No. 3 seed at next week's Pac-12 Tournament with one regular-season game remaining against Arizona State on Saturday (8pm PT/FS1). USC was projected by most bracket experts to make its third consecutive NCAA Tournament as of Thursday.
The Wildcats (25-5, 14-5 Pac-12), led by bigs Azoulis Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, dominated the paint and scored 34 points in the key. Arizona also shot an efficient 54.2 percent from the field.
The first half was closely contested until Arizona broke out on a 14-5 run. The Wildcats went 4-of-9 from the 3-point line as Arizona took a 43-31 lead at halftime.
The Trojans hit four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the second half and cut their deficit to eight points midway into the period, but Arizona answered with a 7-0 run that helped the Wildcats control the rest of the game.
USC didn't pick up momentum in the second half until Ellis led a 10-1 run in the final two minutes. Ellis made two 3-pointers that sliced the Trojans' deficit to five points with 36 remaining, but the effort proved to be too late.
Tubelis, the Pac-12's leading scorer and rebounder, finished with 25 points and 10 boards for the Wildcats. Arizona took the No. 2 seed at the Pac-12 Tournament with the victory.
USC will honor Ellis and Peterson in a Senior Night presentation prior to Saturday's game against Arizona State. Tickets start at just $20.
