USC suffers overtime loss to UCLA


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Senior forward Bennie Boatwright takes a shot against Oregon State Feb. 24 at Galen Center. (Ling Luo/Daily Trojan)

Men’s basketball fell to UCLA 93-88 Thursday night on the road in overtime. The two teams came into the matchup with identical 8-7 conference records, and this crucial loss saw many lead changes throughout, but ultimately, the Trojans couldn’t close it out. 

USC and UCLA were tied 82-82 in the final minute when senior forward Bennie Boatwright missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it into overtime.

“We tried to put the ball in our guys’ hands that brought us here,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “You can’t get upset, everybody succeeds and fails sometimes.”

The Trojans came out cold in the first minutes of overtime, allowing UCLA to take a lead. But USC countered with two big 3-pointers by freshman guard Elijah Weaver and Boatwright before UCLA sophomore guard Jaylen Hands hit a game-sealing 3-pointer that put the lead out of reach for the Trojans.

“It was a great college basketball game,” Enfield said. “We just came out on the short end.”

USC defended well in the opening minutes of the game, preventing UCLA from scoring on several occasions despite open opportunities. The team also established the presence of junior forward Nick Rakocevic from inside, accounting for 4 early points. Through the first four minutes, USC held a 9-4 lead over the Bruins. 

The Trojans were physical on the offensive glass, collecting six offensive rebounds to UCLA’s three. Boatwright embodied this trend with an assertive put-back dunk to give the Trojans a 16-11 lead through the first seven minutes of play. 

However the Trojans failed to stop the Bruins on the defensive end, as UCLA found open looks on many 3-point attempts. Despite the Bruin’s strong 3-point presence, USC stayed in the game and took a 33-32 lead off a short-range field goal from freshman forward J’Raan Brooks. Brooks was crucial in this first half with 9 points on 4-5 shooting. 

“[Brooks] has been through a tough transition, playing behind one of the best players in the country,” junior guard Jonah Mathews said. “He came in and gave us a big lift.”

The teams continued to trade off the lead, with both sides going on significant runs. Despite poor defense against the 3-pointers, the Trojans kept pace with efficient ball movement. USC had totaled 11 assists and merely one turnover, but UCLA was ahead 41-38 at the end of the first half.

Porter opened up the scoring for the Trojans in the second half with an aggressive lay up. He then displayed a strong effort on the defensive end with a powerful block on a 3-point attempt. Porter highlighted his commanding early second-half play with a steal and dunk to give the Trojans a 48-45 lead three minutes into the half. 

Mathews was an offensive force from beyond the arc, hitting three crucial 3-pointers. However, UCLA countered Mathews’ scores with their own, bringing the game to a 51-51 tie with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

Boatwright showcased his veteran presence with the Trojans trailing by 9 with three key 3-pointers and an assist to senior guard Shaqquan Aaron. USC found themselves down 68-67 as the game approached its final seven minutes of regulation.

Boatwright finished his last conference matchup against UCLA with 25 points, 15 rebounds and six assists followed by Mathews’ 17 points. Aaron and Weaver led the team in assists with seven each. 

USC will go on the road to face off against Utah Thursday night. The Trojans have two games remaining and hope to close out their season strong due to the significant Pac-12 tournament seeding implications.