UCLA
13-10, 4-6
USC
18-5, 7-3
UCLA Basketball Falls at USC, 80-61
February 05, 2016 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES - Aaron Holiday scored a team-leading 15 points as the UCLA basketball team dropped an 80-61 decision before a capacity crowd of 10,258 at the Galen Center on Thursday night.
USC (18-5, 7-3) received a team-best 17 points from Julian Jacobs, while Jordan McLaughlin dished a game-high 10 assists and scored nine points.
The visiting Bruins (13-10, 4-6) absorbed their first loss at USC's Galen Center since Jan. 9, 2011, snapping a four-game winning streak in the Trojans' home arena. UCLA has gone 7-3 at the Galen Center since it opened prior to the 2006-07 season.
Holiday was one of four Bruins to score in double figures. Tony Parker finished with 13 points, while Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford each tallied 10.
The Trojans led Thursday night's Pac-12 tilt from start to finish, opening the game with a 9-0 scoring run by connecting on their first four shots. UCLA countered with a 5-0 run and later trimmed the deficit to 14-11 on a layup by Tony Parker with 14:38 left in the opening half.
USC led at halftime by a 39-28 margin and never saw its second-half advantage fall to fewer than six points. With 4:06 left in the contest, Hamilton nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Trojans' cushion to 62-56. USC immediately responded with a 3-pointer from Elijah Stewart, pushing the Trojans' lead back to nine points (65-56).
Stewart finished with 16 points for USC, while Katin Reinhardt totaled 13 and Bennie Boatwright had 12.
UCLA out-rebounded USC by a 40-34 margin, securing 17 offensive boards. Thomas Welsh grabbed a game-leading 12 rebounds for the Bruins, including seven on the offensive end.
The Bruins return to action at No. 23 Arizona (18-5, 6-4) on Friday, Feb. 12. That game will be nationally televised by ESPN. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. (PT).
