No. 10 UCLA blows 18-point lead, hangs on to beat USC 60-58

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At least most of the fanswent home happy. UCLA was anything but.

The 10th-ranked Bruins blew an 18-point lead in the second halfbefore rallying to beat crosstown rival Southern California 60-58on Thursday night for their 11th straight victory.

“Do I look happy?” groused Bruins coach Mick Cronin.

Jaylen Clark added, “You’re not supposed to let them come back,especially at home.”

Clark scored 15 points to lead the Bruins (14-2, 5-0 Pac-12). Hemissed a 3-pointer, but David Singleton grabbed the offensiverebound and fed Clark again. This time, he nailed it, putting theBruins back in front, 59-58, with 14 seconds to go.

“At least we grabbed rebounds,” Clark said, noting a 36-30 edgeon the boards. “We lucked out but it’s not a performance we’rereally proud of.”

Boogie Ellis missed missed a potential tying jumper that wouldhave forced overtime and Adem Bona grabbed the rebound to seal thewin and keep UCLA undefeated at Pauley Pavilion in front of 13,659with a 9-0 mark.

The Bruins are on their longest winning streak since2016-17.

Reese Dixon-Waters scored 12 of his 16 points in the second halfto lead the Trojans (11-5, 3-2). He made all seven of his shots andboth of his free throws.

“Our defense was really bad the entire second half,” Croninsaid. “We couldn’t guard Reese Dixon. He looked like an NBA isomachine.”

USC’s leading scorers, Ellis and Drew Peterson, had off-nights,with Peterson in foul trouble. Ellis finished with 10 points;Peterson had nine.

“We planned for Ellis and Peterson to go off,” Clark said. “Oncethey realized we weren’t giving them nothing they started movingthe ball.”

Trailing by 18, the Trojans outscored the Bruins 19-6 to openthe second half. Kobe Johnson had a steal and a score and HarrisonHornery came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer that drew the Trojanswithin five.

Bona and Tyger Campbell picked up their third fouls in under aminute of each other. Bona had the defensive play of the secondhalf, blocking Malik Thomas on a dunk.

The Bruins missed 5 of 6 free throws while Dixon-Waters carriedthe Trojans. He scored eight of their 10 points to get USC to56-53.

Hornery scored and got fouled on USC’s next possession. Hemissed the first free throw but made the second for a 56-alltie.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. missed a layup and Ellis scrambled and came upwith the rebound in the clogged paint. Dixon-Waters scored to givethe Trojans a 58-56 lead, their first since the start of thegame.

Ellis got called for an offensive foul that gave UCLA the ballback with seven seconds to go. The Trojans fouled Singleton, whosefirst free throw hit the iron, drawing agonized groans from thecrowd. He made the second for a 60-58 lead.

“Obviously that was not a performance we’re proud of,” saidJaquez, who finished with 12 points. “We came out in the secondhalf flat and there’s really no excuse for it. I put that onmyself.”

The Bruins raced to an 18-4 lead to start the game, hitting four3-pointers in the spurt that included 13 straight points. In onesequence, Clark got blocked by Peterson, grabbed the offensiverebound and made a layup. UCLA had a 9-0 run later in the half andwent into the break leading 44-26.

BIG PICTURE

USC: The Trojans have dropped back-to-back games for just thesecond time this season. Before the skid, they won seven in a row,including a 6-0 mark in December that included a pair of Pac-12road wins. They’ll face the Bruins again in three weeks.

UCLA: The Bruins continue on a winning streak that began afterlosses to ranked Illinois and Baylor at Las Vegas in November. Theyhave seemingly bought into coach Mick Cronin’s hard-nosed defensivestyle, which helped them scrap to a one-point road win atWashington State last weekend. Later in January, the Bruins travelto No. 5 Arizona for a pivotal showdown in the desert in their loneremaining game against a ranked opponent.

SEEING STARS

The rivalry game brought out former Bruins Russell Westbrook andwife Nina, who played for UCLA’s women’s team, Baron Davis, and LosAngeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who played baseball inWestwood. Dwyane Wade sat next to Utah Jazz executive Danny Ainge.Also in the crowd was Henry Winkler and Jessica Alba, whosefather-in-law Michael Warren starred for UCLA in the John Woodenera.

UP NEXT

USC: Hosts Colorado on Jan. 12 in the first of a two-gamehomestand.

UCLA: Hosts Utah on Jan. 12 in the second of three straight homegames.