No. 12 Arizona basketball beats Bronny James, USC for bounce-back win
Jan 17, 2024, 10:23 PM | Updated: 10:25 pm
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Caleb Love scored 20 points, Pelle Larsson added 13 and No. 12 Arizona beat Southern California 82-67 on Wednesday night for another bounce-back victory under coach Tommy Lloyd.
Coming off a three-point loss at Washington State, the Wildcats (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12) overcame a nearly seven-minute stretch without a field goal to lead by 10 at halftime and stretched it to 19 midway through the second half.
Arizona had a second straight subpar shooting night, hitting 40% from the field, but scored 22 second-chance points off 21 offensive rebounds. The Wildcats are 15-0 coming off a loss under Lloyd and have won 13 of their last 14 games against USC at McKale Center.
The Trojans (8-10, 2-5) arrived in the desert on a two-game losing streak and missing their top two scorers. Boogie Ellis was out for the second straight game with a hand injury and freshman guard Isaiah Collier had hand surgery last week.
Bronny James tried to carry the Trojans, scoring nine of his 11 points in the first half despite being booed by Arizona’s students every time he touched the ball.
Playing his 10th game since returning from cardiac arrest, James shot 5 of 11 and had six assists after scoring two points on a combined 0-for-14 shooting the previews three games.
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DJ Rodman led USC with 16 points.
The Wildcats got off to a torrid start to build an early 10-point lead before USC tripped them up by going to zone.
Unable to get good looks, Arizona went nearly seven minutes without a field goal as the Trojans trimmed the lead to four.
The Wildcats found a little bit of a rhythm late in the first half, using a 7-0 run to go up 45-35.
USC managed to keep Arizona within reach early in the first half before the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to go up 64-46. The Trojans got no closer than 10 points from there.
THE TAKEAWAY
USC: The Trojans have struggled at McKale Center and playing without their top two scorers made end their desert misery a nearly insurmountable task.
Arizona: The Wildcats were disjointed at both ends for much of the night, yet found a way to win yet another game coming off a loss under Lloyd.
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