USC
13-5,5-2Pac-12
Utah
12-7,5-3Pac-12
Boogie Ellis' 17 Points Leads USC Men's Basketball Past Utah, 71-56
January 14, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES — Boogie Ellis scored 17 points, Tre White contributed 11 of his 13 points in the first half and USC men's basketball defeated Utah 71-56 at home on Saturday.
By defeating Utah (ranked No. 52 in the NET rankings), the Trojans (13-5, 5-2 Pac-12) got a key Quad 2 victory toward their NCAA Tournament resume. USC ranks third in the Pac-12 standings as of Saturday with 13 conference games remaining.
Ellis was 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and added three assists, two rebounds and two steals to his statline. White dished three dimes and grabbed two boards.
Drew Peterson and Reese Dixon-Waters each had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Trojans. Joshua Morgan had 10 boards for USC, which outrebounded Utah 41-29.
Utah (12-7, 5-3 Pac-12) held a six-point lead at the 13:17 mark before USC went on a 19-5 run to take the lead. Brandon Carlson scored 16 of the Utes' final 18 points of the first half as the Trojans took a 39-34 lead into the intermission.
The Utes scored the first six points of the second half. Midway into the period, USC used an 11-2 run highlighted by Peterson's alley-oop to White that gave the Trojans a 10-point lead that never wavered for the rest of the game.
DEFENSE ➡️ OFFENSE@TreWhite19 flies high to finish the alley-oop!
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 15, 2023
📺: @Pac12Network
📱: https://t.co/6pfONUjMOc pic.twitter.com/UWXAU3dve0
Carlson finished with 21 points for Utah, which was held to just 8-of-32 shooting and 22 points in the second half.
USC's next three conference matchups are critical to conference standings and its NCAA Tournament resume, as the Trojans head to Arizona on Thursday (6:00pm PT/Pac-12 Networks) and to Arizona State on Jan. 21 (7:00pm PT/ESPNU).
USC returns to Galen Center on Jan. 26 to host crosstown rival UCLA. Tickets to the game are still available, starting at $75.
.@TreWhite19 shares Coach Enfield's message to the team after a big win!#FightOn | @smartfinal pic.twitter.com/bGwVwJTeju
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 15, 2023
