UCLA Rolls Past USC 107-73 In Pac-12 Opener
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Anderson scored 23 points, leading four UCLA players who scored in double figures, as the Bruins handily beat USC in a Pac-12 Conference opener, 107-73, Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.
Anderson also had 12 assists for the Bruins, recording his eighth double-double of the season and 15th of his career.
Jordan Adams and Bryce Alford added 21 and 20 points for the Bruins, respectively. Alford's 20 points established a new career high. Their contributions helped the Bruins improve to 12-2 on the season, and 1-0 in the Pac-12. UCLA also kept its perfect record at home intact.
The win said something for UCLA's 11 pre-conference wins, which came against seemingly soft opponents. The Bruins were obviously able to use those games to prepare for at least their first conference opponent.
The loss spoke volumes for the Trojans, who fell to 0-1 in conference play and 9-5 overall.
The Trojans were coming off an easy win over Howard, though they needed a strong second half to do it. Prior to that game, USC beat Dayton in overtime and lost to Long Beach State, a school in the Big West Conference.
The Bruins put the pressure on the Trojans early, scoring 13 of the game's first 11 points. Four different players scored during the early run, with Jordan Adams scoring five of the points.
Anderson went 6-for-7 from the floor in the first half, for 14 points. He also had six rebounds and five assists in the game's first 20 minutes.
The Trojans were without 7-foot-2 center Omar Oraby for most of the first half. He crashed to the floor holding his right ankle and had to be helped off of the court. He returned a few minutes later but was used sparingly and played just five minutes of the opening frame. He returned in the second half but fouled out with 7:39 remaining in the game.
USC used a 7-0 run midway through the first half to get to within three points of UCLA but the Bruins responded with a 20-7 run of their own, and eventually led by as many as 25 points before the break.
The Bruins opened up the second half with a 12-3 run, taking a 68-37 lead in the process, and never looked back.
USC was able to put together a 14-2 spurt, cutting UCLA's lead to 70-51 but the Trojans couldn't get any closer. Oraby and Julian Jacobs accounted for 10 of those points.
The Trojans were led by Byron Wesley and J.T. Terrill, who scored 21 and 14 points, respectively. Jacobs finished with 10.
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