USC falls to Bruins in regular season finale

The USC men’s basketball team dropped their last game of the season to crosstown rivals UCLA 85-74.

Riding momentum from their win over Washington, the Trojans (11-19, 3-15) came out aggressive, jumping to an early 12-9 lead. However, behind the hot shooting of guard Bryce Alford and forward Tony Parker, the Bruins (19-12, 11-7) responded with an 18-5 run of their own.

“We played well enough to win, but we did not rebound well enough to win,” head coach Andy Enfield said.

A pair of 3-pointers from guard Katin Reinhardt, followed by a Darion Clark layup capped off a 12-2 Trojan run and cut the Bruins’ lead to single digits. Alford would drain a three to end the half, giving the Bruins a       46-35 lead.

Both Parker and Alford had their way with the Trojan defense in the first half, combining for 28 of UCLA’s 46 points.

“He [Alford] is a terrific player,” Enfield said. “Give him credit, he made shots.”

As a team, UCLA was extremely efficient, shooting 53 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep.

Strangely enough, the Trojans outshot and out rebounded       (15-14) the Bruins in the first half but found themselves behind by double digits due to turning the ball over nine times compared to UCLA’s three.

The Trojans battled hard in the second half but every time they crawled within single digits, the Bruins had an answer. It seemed that every time UCLA needed a response, someone different was there to answer the call.

“It’s not like we didn’t play hard,” sophomore guard Julian Jacobs said. “Guys are just going to have to put on weight in the offseason.”

Despite their best efforts, USC would get no closer than eight points.

“Every time we cut in to seven or eight in the second half, they stepped up and made a tough shot,” Enfield said. “They deserve the credit.”

A pair of free throws from forward Kevin Looney, giving the Bruins an 80-67 lead all but sealed a victory with less than four minutes to play.

Freshman Elijah Stewart was phenomenal for the Trojans once again. The former Westchester High standout led USC with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block.

Reinhardt chipped in 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists and fellow sophomore Nikola Jovanovic contributed a relatively quiet 16 points and five rebounds. It wasn’t enough, however, to overcome a UCLA squad that shot 50 percent for the game, led by Alford’s 23 points and five 3-pointers.

It was a disappointing outing for the Trojans who hoped to spoil UCLA’s senior night and build momentum for the upcoming Pac-12 tournament. As the story has gone this season, the Trojans just couldn’t get over the hump.

The Trojans actually shot a better percentage from the field than the Bruins, but UCLA attempted 14 more shots while committing only half the amount of turnovers as USC.

The Trojans have now lost five straight at the hands of the Bruins, dating back to 2013, and have failed to win a road conference game this season.

To add to the Trojans’ difficulties, junior forward Strahinja Gavrilovic will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum injury.

USC will end the season last in the Pac-12 standings for the second consecutive year. Though on paper the result looks depressing, USC has a bright future ahead of it. The team has no seniors on the roster and expects to return all five starters for next season.

Next week, the Trojans will take part in the Pac-12 Tournament with the chance to make a run toward the NCAA Tournament, though it will take a few miraculous upsets along the way in order for that to happen.

The team will take on the 5th seed, likely Stanford, in Las Vegas next Wednesday, March 11.