The Crosstown Showdown started fast, as each team made their first four shots from the field. Just over three minutes had passed, and USC led 9-8. Then came an 8-0 UCLA run, forcing a USC timeout with 12 minutes to play in the first half.
The Trojans never led again.
No. 16 USC fell 75-68 to No. 17 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion Saturday night – the Trojans’ first loss to the Bruins since 2019.
Junior forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. only scored five points on 2-for-11 in the first meeting – a 67-64 win for USC on Feb. 12. Tonight was a different story, as the All-Pac-12 standout exploded for 27 points, the second most of his career, to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
“He’s a very good offensive player,” head coach Andy Enfield said of Jaquez. “He didn’t play very well against us in the first game, so he came out today and was making shots. He got our guys off their feet and got to the foul line.”
Midway through the second half, Jaquez scored six straight points for the Bruins and then found senior guard Jules Bernard – who finished with 16 of his own – in the corner for a 3-pointer to give UCLA a 62-54 lead, forcing Enfield to call a timeout.
That run lasted past the timeout, culminating in a 15-4 surge that put UCLA up 69-56 with 7:06 to play. That Bruins run was ultimately decisive, as USC only managed 68 points on the night.
Even though USC trailed for the final 36:12 of the contest – and lost the turnover battle 15-1 – the Trojans managed to put together a pair of second-half runs to stay in the game.
Junior guard Boogie Ellis opened the second half with a deep catch-and-shoot three, and just over four minutes later, he converted a four-point play to knot the game at 47 apiece.
Ellis is still icing the ankle he injured in practice last Wednesday, but he turned in his best performance since his return. The transfer guard tallied 13 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists.
“I was just telling my teammates ‘keep in it and believe,’” Ellis said. “We just needed one more stop, and to convert a bucket one more time.”
The second run came with the Trojans down 68-56 with just over seven minutes remaining. USC went on a 12-2 run capped by an and-1 from junior forward Isaiah Mobley that trimmed the lead to 70-68 with less than two minutes to play.
“I thought we were going to have a chance,” Enfield said. “[The loss] wasn’t because we weren’t playing hard. We played together tonight.”
Mobley led the Trojans with 20 points, adding another eight rebounds and a pair of assists in a team-high 37 minutes.
“[Mobley] played very hard,” Enfield said. “He played a lot of minutes and played very good defense. We went small with him at the five, and he really put pressure on UCLA’s defense with his scoring and passing ability.”
Redshirt senior Cody Riley answered that run with a turnaround jumper, and the Trojans couldn’t find another bucket. The loss locks USC into the No. 3 seed for next week’s Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, where they will take on the winner of No. 6 Washington and No. 10 Utah on Thursday.