UCLA outlasts USC to break Trojans’ rivalry winning streak 


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Junior forward Isaiah Mobley dribbles the ball in front of a UCLA defender.
Junior forward Isaiah Mobley dribbles at the 3-point line against UCLA Saturday night. The Trojans’ leading scorer had 20 points and 8 rebounds in USC’s 75-68 loss to the Bruins. (Simon Park | Daily Trojan)

For the fans Saturday night, every bucket was life or death. Pauley Pavilion transformed into a library when USC scored, and in a matter of mere seconds, you would have thought you were at the Rose Bowl after UCLA hit a shot. 

It was the first time fans occupied the stadium for a USC vs. UCLA game since early 2020, and the deafening crowd noise made that all the more obvious. 

No matter how much the Trojans did to claw back in the game, a Bruin bucket felt like a complete reset. No. 17 UCLA defeated No. 16 USC 75-68, winning for the first time in the last six matchups between the crosstown rivals.

“It was a back and forth game, it was chaotic,” junior forward Isaiah Mobley said. “It was up and down, and our mistakes gave them the W.”

USC fought its way back into the game multiple times in the second half, unwilling to let UCLA close the game comfortably. After trailing by as much as 13 with more than five minutes to play, the Trojans went on a 12-1 run to reduce the lead to just 2 with a minute and a half to go.  

“I just kept telling the guys ‘Believe, believe, believe,’” Mobley said. “That’s all you can do is believe. If we give up, then we know we’re gonna lose for sure.”

The weight of a persistent UCLA offense and continual pressure from the crowd got to USC. Despite multiple late missed free throws, the Bruins held on. 

Junior forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was determined to right his wrongs from the last matchup, where he shot 2-of-11 against the Trojans at Galen Center. On the Bruins’ turf, Jaquez Jr. came out of the gates hot, using an arsenal of pull-up jumpers and contested layups to finish with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting. 

Senior guard Jules Bernard provided timely offense as well, with a 19-point performance on 6-of-11 shooting. 

“You start helping on [Jaquez Jr.], then [Bernard] hits a corner three,” Mobley said. “You tip your hat to them for making some tough ones, and also the open ones.” 

For the Trojans, leading scorer Mobley missed the Feb. 12 matchup at Galen Center against the Bruins. His rivalry-game return alleviated some stress for the USC offense, posting 20 points and 8 rebounds. 

The other usual scorers played their part as well. Senior guard Drew Peterson came alive in the second half, and junior guard Boogie Ellis, who couldn’t buy a bucket against UCLA last time out, found his flow on offense. The pair combined for 26 points, 15 of which came in the second half, keeping USC afloat.

“We’ve had a lot of experience in close games, and we’re comfortable if it is close down the stretch,” Head Coach Andy Enfield said. “I thought that we were gonna have a chance … [The loss] wasn’t because we weren’t playing hard, and we played together tonight.”

The biggest failure for the Trojans came in the turnover battle, and the Bruins capitalized on just about every mistake. USC coughed the ball up 15 times, lending to 21 points off turnovers for UCLA. The Bruins themselves had just 1 turnover. 

“One turnover is a low number in a college basketball game,” Enfield said. “They did a really good job of … not getting sped up, and they took care of the basketball … Turnovers are part of the game, and [we] can’t have 15, especially on the road.”

The Trojans finish their regular season with a program-record 25 wins. They will travel to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament, where they’re slated to face the winner of No. 6 seed Washington and No. 11 seed Utah.  

“The Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament are new seasons,” Enfield said. “You throw your records out when you get to Vegas … We know what’s at stake.”