Boogie Ellis helps USC erase big deficit during dominant win over UCLA

Ellis scores 27 of his career-high 31 points in the second half, igniting an 18-2 run that puts the Trojans ahead for good USC earns a 77-64 win, avenging a two-point loss at UCLA three weeks ago

Boogie Ellis shoots over UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. during the first half on Thursday night at the Galen Center. Ellis scored 27 of his career-high 31 points in the second half to lead USC to a 77-64 win. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Adam Grosbard (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — After watching a furious second-half comeback fall short in painful fashion at Pauley Pavilion three weeks ago, USC’s veterans were not going to let history repeat itself against No. 8 UCLA on Thursday night.

After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Trojans had rallied to go up by nine. But the Bruins kept fighting back, as veteran teams do, to get within one possession.

But Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson made pull-up jumpers to push the USC lead back to six. Ellis then came from behind to block a Tyger Campbell jumper. Ellis then cemented the win with a long 3-pointer, falling onto his back after a challenge from Amari Bailey as the ball swished through the net.

There would be no heartbreak for the Trojans on Thursday. Instead, USC took a 77-64 statement win against the Bruins, USC’s fifth straight over the crosstown rivals at the Galen Center.

Ellis led all scorers with a career-high 31 points, 27 of which came in the second half as he was serenaded with “M-V-P” chants during free throws in the final seconds. Peterson added 16 for the Trojans (15-6 overall, 7-3 Pac-12), while Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bruins (17-4, 8-2) with 15. David Singleton and Campbell added 14 points each for UCLA.

The comeback started innocently enough, a Peterson 3-pointer cutting the Bruins’ lead from 13 to 10. Kobe Johnson found Peterson cutting to the rim in transition for a layup, and the deficit was single digits.

Freshman Tre White got in on the act. A pump fake caught UCLA veteran Jaquez in the air and White ducked under the block attempt to make a mid-range jumper. A couple of possessions later, White dribbled back and nailed a 3-pointer.

Within four, Ellis took advantage of a little space on the perimeter and pulled up for a 3-pointer. Ellis clenched his fists at his sides as he went back up the court, the deficit sliced to one as the Bruins called a timeout.

But Ellis stole the ball from Campbell and pass up ahead to Reese Dixon-Waters, who sidestepped Campbell’s swipe to lay it in to give the Trojans the lead with 12:14 to play. Ellis and Johnson made 3-pointers, and the Trojans’ had their largest advantage of the game after an 18-2 run.

The Bruins were all kinds of discombobulated during this stretch, unable to solve the USC defense. UCLA went 1 for 10 from the floor, throwing up awkward shots when drives were stopped in the paint. Veterans threw the ball away, expecting teammates to cut one way when they went the other.

And the Trojans rushed UCLA off the 3-point line. After the Bruins went 6 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half, USC held UCLA to 2 for 7 in the second.

“We really started to hard hedge the ball screens, try to put pressure on their guards so Campbell couldn’t get in the lane,” USC coach Andy Enfield said.

A Singleton baseline jumper ended the Trojans’ advantage, and a Bailey put-back layup made it a one-possession game as the teams prepared for a fight across the last seven minutes.

But the Trojans – who improved to 10-1 at home this season – controlled both ends of the court in the second half, holding UCLA to an 8-for-27 mark from the floor while shooting 55.6% themselves.

At first, it seemed like the rematch would follow the script of the first game. UCLA had a third-chance basket on the opening possession and Adem Bona turned a missed free throw into a dunk, setting the tone for a half in which the Bruins had 10 second-chance points to USC’s one.

Despite the clear mismatch on the glass, USC took an early 12-6 lead thanks to back-to-back cross-court passes from Peterson that turned into corner 3-pointers. But a Campbell 3-pointer ended USC’s 7-0 run as the Trojans fell into a long drought.

USC went 7:26 without a field goal, going 0 for 7 from the floor in that period. Another Bona dunk and split free throws from the freshman center got UCLA within two. Then Peterson was called for a flagrant on a loose ball and Jaylen Clark tied the score with two free throws. A Jaquez 3-pointer put the Bruins back ahead as an 11-0 run put UCLA up 20-14.

By the time USC responded with a Peterson 3-pointer and a pull-up by Vincent Iwuchukwu to cut the deficit back to one, UCLA had found its rhythm. Singleton hit a 3-pointer and Bailey followed that with a steal and layup.

Peterson attempted a backward, overhead pass that never came close to finding the cutter. The turnover was converted into another Singleton 3-pointer. The guard bounced back up the court, eyes closed as he spun with jubilation at the Bruins’ 12-point lead.

The joy would be short-lived, though, as USC orchestrated a second-half comeback that this time stuck and reignited the Trojans’ hopes for a bid to the NCAA tournament.

“We needed a big statement win,” Andy Enfield said. “We almost had it at Pauley three weeks ago. Our team is playing very well, they’ve improved a lot. That’s what we like to see. It’s fun to see the progression of teams. This team, we weren’t sure what we had, especially after we lost on opening night. So we’re very proud of our guys hanging in there and improving.”

ocregister.com

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