The Crosstown Showdown never fails to have a big crowd, good basketball and a close game. After a demoralizing first half that ended with a score of 44-26 in favor of UCLA, USC combatted its nerves with consistency and grit in the second. As the game wound down to the final minutes, Pauley Pavilion got louder and the game got tighter.
USC struggled on the offensive side of the ball early in the game. Freshman guard Tre White had seven points, the team’s best at the half, and the team only had one offensive rebound. The Bruins finished the half with an 18-point lead, showing not only their offensive dominance but their ability to play both sides of the ball.
“It was embarrassing in the first half, it embarrassed me as a head coach. You know, to come out in a rivalry game, be down 18 at halftime and the effort that we gave was embarrassing for all of us,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “I said at halftime, we didn’t yell and scream, but they made their minds up. They want to go compete and they did.”
Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Reese Dixon-Waters led the team with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.
“We had to match their energy. We came out slow, lethargic in the first half,” Dixon-Waters said. “So we had to match their energy and intensity and offense and defense and just ball movement and get open shots.”
The second half appeared to coax out a different side of the Trojans and the Bruins. USC chipped away at the 18-point deficit to ultimately take a two-point lead with a minute left in the game. The Trojans’ first lead since the game was 2-0 was quickly taken away as UCLA junior guard Jaylen Clark hit a three off an offensive rebound to take the lead by one.
“Well it’s frustrating when veteran guys are inconsistent, but we’re still a team that’s developing and we’re improving now,” Enfield said. “We’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season. I think you saw that tonight, especially in the second half.”
On the following possession, Dixon-Waters headed down the court looking to take the lead back from the Bruins, senior guard Boogie Ellis was called for an offensive foul right after setting an illegal screen.
“The play before that was frustrating because we had the ball in Reese’s hands who was playing well and Boogie got an offensive foul on that ball screen slip,” Enfield said. “The last thing I said to him at the timeout was ‘don’t get an offensive foul on a slip.’ And, unfortunately, he did.”
UCLA made one of the two free throws, giving the Bruins a lead of 60-58. The Trojans put the ball in Ellis’ hands, who went up for a last second jump shot that bounced off the rim.
Although the ranked rivalry win could have put USC on the map after having just one ranked win over No. 19 Auburn, Dixon-Waters had a positive outlook on the rest of the season.
“I think we’re just a younger team than we were last year trying to figure everything out,” Dixon-Waters said. “But we’re definitely getting there and I’m happy with the progress we made this season, from Florida Gulf Coast to now.”
The Trojans will rest for the next week before they have another Pac-12 match against Colorado on Jan. 12. This loss brings the Trojans to 11-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Trojans hope to avenge the loss to UCLA at Galen Center on Jan. 26.