USC Men's Basketball Closes Out The Regular Season With 90-63 Loss To UCLA

Saturday, March 8

Los Angeles, Calif.

5 p.m.

USC

15-16,7-13Big Ten

UCLA

22-9,13-7Big Ten

Southern California

UCLA

Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics

USC Men's Basketball Closes Out The Regular Season With 90-63 Loss To UCLA

March 08, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Wesley Yates III led all the Trojans in scoring, grabbing 21 points along with five rebounds.

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball finished out the regular season inside Pauley Pavilion to take on UCLA. Even though they were only down by nine at the half, the Bruins came up with a big second half, resulting in USC falling 90-63 in the second leg of the Crosstown Showdown.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UCLA was the first team on the board, scoring on their first possession. They didn't stop there. They caused two USC turnovers while scoring four more points, earning the Bruins an early six-point lead. USC managed to sink a basket, but that was all they could get for the next five minutes as the Trojans could not settle in on offense. USC strung a few baskets together, but only enough to get within nine by the halfway point in the first. With help from Wesley Yates III, USC began closing in on the Bruins, getting within five. UCLA kicked it into another gear yet again as USC was down by 12 heading into the locker room with the score at 39-27 in favor of the Bruins.

Saint Thomas started the second half with a three-pointer as the Trojans worked to close in on the Bruins. However, UCLA had other plans, going on an eight-point run following that basket to take a 17-point lead. The Bruins kept expanding on their lead from there. Desmond Claude and Clark Slajchert put some points together to stop the bleeding, but it was short-lived as UCLA battled back almost immediately, making up for lost points plus some. This caused the Trojans to drop this game with a score of 90-63.

NOTABLES

Wesley Yates III shot 100 percent during the first half, shooting 4-4 from the field 3-3 from beyond the arc, and 4-4 from the charity stripe to put up 15 points. He was the only Trojan to reach double digits during the first half. Those 21 points from Yates marked his 23rd game scoring in double digits this season. He also led the team in assists with five and six rebounds.
USC shot a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe during the first half.
Yates (21) and Desmond Claude (15) both had double-digit performances against the Bruins.
Clark Slajchert made the most of his minutes. He was third on the team in scoring, contributing nine points while shooting at 66.7 percent from the field.
Matt Knowling filled up the stat sheet, recording a team-high six rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists.
Chibuzo Agbo and Rashaun Agee both surpassed 100 career assists, while Matt Knowling surpassed 200 career assists against the Bruins.
USC had nine offensive boards compared to UCLA's six, outscoring the Bruins 13-12 in second chance points.

UP NEXT
The Trojans will head to Indianapolis for the TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Championships. The team's seeding and opponent have yet to be announced. Check back to USCTrojans.com for more information heading into the tournament.