The USC men's basketball team swept crosstown rival UCLA on Thursday night at home in front of a sold-out crowd to improve to 14-0 at home and 18-5 on the season. The victory marks the first time the Trojans have swept the Bruins since 2010 and just the sixth time in the last 60 years.
Click here for a full recap from the Trojans' sweep of the Bruins.
Never Look Back
Guard Julian Jacobs kicked off the crosstown showdown with a layup off the opening tip, and the Trojans didn't sacrifice the lead for the remaining 39 minutes and 55 seconds. USC jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, forcing UCLA to call a timeout, and the rowdy Galen Crowd erupted. These runs continued throughout the game as the Trojans only saw their lead dwindle to six midway through the second half. A majority of these runs came from fast-break points created by UCLA turnovers on defense with USC scoring 13 fast-break points to UCLA's zero.
"We have a style we like to play and it starts with the defense," said head coach Andy Enfield. "We try to get deflections, steals, blocked shots and then challenge shots. When you do that, you can get out and score in transition."
"When we're in transition we're one of the most dynamic teams," added Jacobs.
Crosstown Shutdown
"We expect to win every game we play in. Whether we play defense is the determining factor," said Jacobs, who led the Trojans in scoring with 17 points. Well, USC's defense certainly showed up on Thursday night, holding UCLA to 35 percent shooting from the field, which is the 10th time the Trojans have held an opponent to 40 percent or less shooting. In comparison, USC shot 45 percent from the field, including 10 buckets from beyond-the-arc, which is the seventh time this season the Trojans have scored 10 or more three-pointers. The Bruins' 61 points is also a season-low much to the credit of Trojan guards like Jacobs and McLaughlin as well as post players like Nikola Jovanovic.
"When you play UCLA, you try to take their strengths away as best you can," said the head coach. "Down the stretch we were able to rebound the ball."
Guard Your Yard
The Trojans are off to their best start at home in program history with 14 consecutive wins at the Galen Center this season. On Thursday, USC played in front of a sell-out crowd that players like Jacobs noted was the first time they had ever seen a crowd that big in the Galen Center. Students were lined up starting two-and-a-half hours before tip-off, and the Trojans certainly did not disappoint as they dominated the crosstown showdown with ease.
"The Galen Center is just a terrific atmosphere for college basketball when it's like this. It's loud and the fans feel like they're on top of you," said Enfield. "To have the students of USC embrace our team and to be enthusiastic and come support, it means a lot. It creates an atmosphere and a home court advantage that some other teams have around the country."
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Check out all the highlights from the Trojans' sweep over the Bruins in front of a rowdy crowd at the Galen Center...
