Bruins Move On After Defeating Trojans 96-70 In Pac-12 Quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Isaac Hamilton scored 36 points and hit seven 3-pointers, helping UCLA rout rival Southern California 96-70 in the Pac-12 quarterfinals on Thursday.

UCLA (20-12) stepped on the Trojans from the start and didn't let up to rout USC for the third time this season. The Bruins shot 60 percent and made 12 of 20 3-pointers to earn a spot in Friday's semifinals against No. 5 Arizona.

Hamilton made 13 of 17 shots and was 7 for 9 from the 3-point arc.

Norman Powell and Tony Parker added 14 points each for the Bruins.

USC (12-19) had a nice upset in the first round, but was no match for the fresh Bruins.

Katin Reinhardt led the Trojans with 20 points, hitting 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Nikola Jovanovic added 17 points.

The Trojans became the first No. 12 seed to win a Pac-12 tournament game after rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Arizona State 67-64 in the first round.

That earned USC a rematch with its biggest rival.

The teams played twice during the regular season and UCLA won both by a combined 38 points.

The Bruins quickly took control of Round 3, soaring in for dunks in transition and pouring in 3-pointers with its quick-hitting offense.

UCLA raced out to a 24-13 lead with a 14-0 run, including a windmill dunk in transition by Powell that brought the crowd to its feet.

The Bruins made 18 of 31 shots, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range, to build a 47-29 lead by halftime.

Hamilton, a sophomore guard, spearheaded UCLA's offensive onslaught, scoring 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting in the first half.

Hamilton kept firing and making, surpassing his season-high of 21 points by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 90 seconds of the second half.

All that was in question after that was whether Hamilton would break Klay Thompson's tournament records for points and 3-pointers. He fell short of the Washington State star's 43 points and eight 3-pointers in the 2011 tournament, but it was a special day regardless.

TIP INS

USC: The Trojans hit 8 of 22 from 3-point range. ... Elijah Stewart had 12 points.

UCLA: The Bruins lost to Arizona 57-47 on Feb. 21. ... UCLA had a 50-34 advantage in the paint against USC.

UP NEXT

USC's season is over.

UCLA face top-seeded Arizona in Friday's semifinals.
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