The crosstown rivalry continued Thursday night as USC traveled to Westwood, facing UCLA in a pivotal Pac-12 basketball matchup. Both teams came into this game with identical records, looking for a late season push.
In a back and forth thriller, overtime was needed to decide the outcome. UCLA redeemed itself, after an early season drubbing at Galen Center, winning 93-88.
USC (15-14, 8-8 Pac-12) started hot with long-range shots and a rare putback jam by senior forward Bennie Boatwright. Two early fouls by junior Nick Rakocevic found him on the bench, causing freshman J'Raan Brooks to substitute him.
A surprising bright spot, Brooks ignited the offense with 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Bruins guard Kris Wilkes paced his squad with 12 points, while his backcourt mate Jaylen Hands had 10 points and four assists in the first stanza. UCLA (16-13, 9-7 Pac-12) led 41-38 at halftime.
For the Trojans, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jonah Mathews had the offense rolling early in the second half. Porter skied high with two highlight dunks, and Mathews nailed a pair of threes. Unfortunately for KPJ, he injured his ankle shortly after and was unable to contribute further.
Have no fear; Bennies Buckets was here. After falling behind by nine, the Trojan captain hit back-to-back threes. Boatwright finished with 25 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
A seesaw second half offered multiple lead changes, as both teams competed for LA supremacy. Boatwright missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer to force overtime.
"Unfortunately this year the ball hasn't bounced our way at the end in quite a few of those games," USC coach Andy Enfield said after the game. "If those balls go in, we have a different record."
Free throws were also a big factor in the game as UCLA finished with a 28 to 7 advantage from the charity stripe.
The Trojans tied their season high with 19 made 3-pointers (on 50 attempts) and had a season-best 28 assists, but came up short in the end.
Hands led the Bruins with 21 points and 10 assists.
"You win some and lose some," said Boatwright after the game. "We try to go out there and complete…we played well, but they came out with the W. It's basketball."
Next: USC will play at Utah on March 7 and Colorado the next day to close out the regular season. UCLA visits Colorado on March 7.