UCLA
9-3 (1-0)
USC
12-1 (0-1)
No. 21 UCLA Defeats USC, 78-73
December 31, 2015 | Women's Basketball
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LOS ANGELES -- No. 21 UCLA (9-3, 1-0) won its third-straight game over USC, handing the Trojans (12-1, 0-1) their first loss of the season with a 78-73 victory on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams. The win gave UCLA a 30-25 lead in the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup.
Sophomore Monique Billings led the Bruins with her fourth double-double (career-high 23 points and 12 boards) of the year and her second straight. Sophomore Jordin Canada had 22 points and eight assists, playing in all 40 minutes. Senior Nirra Fields came off the bench to score 19 points and add six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
USC took a 14-7 lead at the start of the game thanks to a 10-6 rebounding edge and some untimely turnovers by the Bruins. But UCLA turned up the defensive pressure and held the Trojans to just 1-for-11 down the stretch of the opening period. UCLA held USC scoreless for the final 4:12 and went on a 10-0 run to take a 17-14 lead after one quarter.
The Bruins built a seven-point lead (27-20) after a jumper by Canada at the 4:34 mark of the second quarter. But USC went on an 8-0 run to take a 28-27 lead on a jumper by Kristen Simon with 1:44 left in the period. The rest of the quarter was a tight affair with the Bruins taking a 32-30 lead into the break.
UCLA used an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter to build a double-digit lead at 49-39 on another jumper by Canada. But the Trojans slowly chipped away to pull to within two (53-51) at the end of the third period.
The final stanza was a tight affair with four ties and two lead changes until the Bruins took a 73-66 lead on a huge three-pointer by freshman Kennedy Burke with 3:29 to go. UCLA controlled the game after that and won the game 78-73.
For the game, UCLA shot 49.2 percent (31-for-63) and held USC to 38.0 percent (27-for-71). USC dominated the glass, using a 50-36 advantage, including 24 offensive rebounds, to post an 18-14 advantage in second chance points.
Temi Fagbenle led USC with a double-double with career-highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Simon also had a double-double of 11 points and a career-best 14 boards. Brianna Barrett and Sadie Edwards rounded out the quartet of Trojans in double figures with 18 points and 10 points, respectively.
The Bruins return to action on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016 when they host another undefeated team, Oregon (11-0, 0-0) at 2:00 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion on the Pac-12 Networks.
USC at No. 21 UCLA (Pac-12 Game)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| USC | 14 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 73 |
| No. 21 UCLA | 17 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 78 |
