Bruins and Trojans Meet in Twinbill of Cross-town HoopsBruins and Trojans Meet in Twinbill of Cross-town Hoops

Bruins and Trojans Meet in Twinbill of Cross-town Hoops

Bruin Athletics

It's been just less than a year since USC and UCLA last met for bragging rights and Lexus Gauntlet points in basketball. A lot has happened on the hardwood since the two teams last tangled. The Bruins

Jan. 9, 2007

LOS ANGELES - It's been just less than a year since USC and UCLA last met for bragging rights and Lexus Gauntlet points in basketball. A lot has happened on the hardwood since the two teams last tangled. The Bruins went on their championship run to the NCAA title game and have been the nation's No.1 team for much of this season. Meanwhile, the Trojans continue to make their own play for top college hoops billing in L.A.

Remember the outcome of that last UCLA-USC basketball game? The Trojans defeated the Bruins, 71-68, in the final rivalry game at the Sports Arena. Hardly an upset, the win marked USC's fourth in last five home games against UCLA. The Trojans own a 6-4 overall advantage over the Bruins in men's basketball since the inception of the head-to-head Lexus Gauntlet challenge in 2001-02.

This Saturday (Jan. 13), the same-city adversaries will renew the chase of the sixth annual Lexus Gauntlet as they christen USC's new Galen Center to the hoops version of The Rivalry. USC (13-4, 3-1 in Pac-10), in dire need of the five Gauntlet points at stake, aims to pick up where they left off against UCLA. The No. 3-ranked Bruins (14-1, 3-1), who have won 26 of their last 28 games since their last visit to Troy, seek to rebound from their first loss of the season at Oregon and add to UCLA's 30-5 lead in pursuit of the 2007 Lexus Gauntlet. Tip-off is at 11:30 a.m.

Following the inaugural game at Galen, the Lexus Gauntlet competition resumes in Westwood as the Women of Troy (9-7, 3-3 in Pac-10) challenge UCLA (9-9, 3-3) on its home court in the afternoon matchup of the rivalry basketball doubleheader. The first 5-of-10 available Gauntlet points in women's basketball are on the line when the action at Pauley Pavilion tips-off at 2 p.m.

Despite UCLA's 25-point lead in the Gauntlet standings, the rivalry race is far from over for USC. More than 70 Gauntlet points are still available entering Saturday's basketball games. To win the Lexus Gauntlet trophy outright, 57.5 points are needed to clinch. UCLA men's volleyball will host USC in the next Lexus Gauntlet event scheduled for Jan. 27.

In the five years of the Lexus Gauntlet competition, the rival schools have alternated winning the trophy. USC won the inaugural trophy in 2002, then in 2004 and again in 2006. UCLA captured the rivalry's crown jewel in 2003 and 2005.

The Southern California Lexus Dealers are proud to be the leading sponsors of both UCLA and USC athletic departments as well as the exclusive title sponsor of every USC-UCLA athletic competition. For more than 80 years, these champion rivals have competed for the ultimate city-wide title of number one. Now, based on the practice of knights who challenged each other to duel by throwing their armored gauntlets to the ground, Lexus has issued the absolute challenge: the Lexus Gauntlet competition.