No. 2 Arizona blows away No. 16 USC


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Redshirt senior forward Chevez Goodwin shields the ball from defenders.
Redshirt senior forward Chevez Goodwin shields the ball from Arizona defenders. He finished the game with 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting. (Simon Park | Daily Trojan)

USC’s momentum was stifled right from the tip-off Tuesday night. 

Following the narrow victory over Oregon Saturday evening, cemented by senior guard Drew Peterson’s three-pointer in the dying seconds, men’s basketball fell 91-71 to No. 2 Arizona in their return to Galen Center. Tuesday’s bout saw the Wildcats jump out early, pushing the pace of play and blowing the Trojans out in their own gym. USC now sits at 25-5 on the season and is eliminated from contention to win the Pac-12 regular season title. 

The Trojans’ prolific scorers throughout the season, Peterson, junior guard Boogie Ellis and junior forward Isaiah Mobley, contributed underwhelming offensive performances as the trio combined for just 28 points on 8 of 34 shooting from the field. 

“Our best players have to play well in big games, and they have done that for most of the season,” said Head Coach Andy Enfield in a post-game press conference. “They all had off-nights … It was frustrating. I know our players are frustrated because they didn’t have their best games.” 

Peterson suffered woes in the shooting column against the Wildcats, managing 2 for 11 field goal attempts and missing all 6 3-pointer attempts. 

“I just got to keep the confidence going and let my teammates trust me,” said Peterson in a post-game press conference. “I’m not going to lose any confidence from a shooting night like this.” 

The Trojans fell to a 21-8 deficit within the first eight minutes of the opening half as the Wildcats came out of the gate with 3 3-pointers on their first 4 attempts. Despite multiple attempts at a comeback during the opening half, such as the 7-0 mid-first-half run catalyzed by junior forward Max Agbonkpolo, the Trojans just couldn’t turn things around. 

Arizona sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin’s 19 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals on 7 of 13 shooting from beyond the arc and 3 of 6 efficiency on 3-point attempts fueled the Wildcats’ 51-point first half. 

The Wildcats maintained their insurmountable lead throughout the second half as they continued their hot shooting from the 3-point line. Arizona converted 5 3-pointers on 8 attempts, whereas USC only converted 3 of 10 attempts in the second half. 

Despite a late rally call from the Trojans in the last few minutes of the second half, where the Trojans trimmed the score to a 80-64 margin, Arizona’s defense remained adamant and held on to its lead as the game concluded. 

The Trojans managed a measly 22.2% shooting from beyond the arc, missing out on open looks from range and subsequently giving up fast-break points, of which the Wildcats had 13.

“The disappointing thing is, when you have a crowd like that, you don’t want to lose by 20 [points],” Enfield said. “That’s the disappointing thing for me as a head coach … Whatever we did or didn’t do, that’s on me.” 

The Trojans finish their season with a road matchup against UCLA Saturday, March 5 at Pauley Pavilion. 

Adam Jasper contributed to this report.