Last night, USC men's basketball ended its Pac-12 Tournament run with a tight loss to UCLA.
Read the full recap here.
Spectators may have counted the Trojans out after the opening minutes, when they went 1-of-14 from the field. But the team rallied and locked in on defense -- forcing 10 turnovers -- to head into halftime down just three points.
After another slow start to the half, the sixth-seeded Trojans gave the Bruins all they could handle down the stretch. Point guard Jordan McLaughlin managed his fourth straight double-digit scoring effort, leading the Trojans with 18 points and 6 assists. Shooting guard Elijah Stewart added 17 points off the bench, including a high-flying finish on an alley-oop from McLaughlin.
While forward Chimezie Metu only made two buckets, he finished with 14 crucial rebounds, the sixth-most in the history of the conference tournament. His presence helped USC hold the Bruins 15 points below their nation-leading scoring average.
The Trojans missed a few opportunities to tie the game as time ran out. USC's Bennie Boatwright hit a three just before the buzzer to make the final score 76-74 in favor of the Bruins.
Now, USC, sporting a 24-9 record with two wins over opponents ranked in the Top 15, looks forward to Selection Sunday, when it learns its NCAA Tournament Fate.
University Southern California Trojans
Tuesday, June 23
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