UCLA Basketball Runs Past USC, 107-73
LOS ANGELES - Kyle Anderson totaled 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead UCLA past USC, 107-73, before 11,285 in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.
Jordan Adams had 21 points and Bryce Alford scored a season-high 20 points in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams.
Anderson registered his seventh double-double of the season (and 14th of his career) and added five assists in the win for UCLA (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12). The Bruins pushed their record at home to 10-0 this season.
“We did a great job of focusing,” head coach Steve Alford said. “Leading up to this game, it’s during Christmas, the campus is empty, and the challenge is to get focused. I credit this team for preparing for these six days.”
UCLA’s 107 points matched the all-time high for the Bruins in the crosstown rivalry against USC. Previously, UCLA had scored 107 points in a victory on Dec. 30, 1966. The Bruins had not reached the 100-point plateau against USC since Jan. 21, 1998, and against any conference opponent in a regular-season game since Feb. 25, 1999.
“Coach says not to be robots out there,” Anderson said. “He just wants us to play. It’s cool with the record [against USC], but the win is more important. We just wanted to make a statement. This will prepare us for conference play.”
USC (9-5, 0-1 Pac-12) scored the game's first two points, and UCLA answered with an 11-0 run, never trailing the rest of the way. The Trojans reduced UCLA’s cushion to three points – 21-18 – with 10:57 to play before halftime. Consecutive baskets by Zach LaVine, Anderson and Tony Parker and a pair of free throws by LaVine pushed UCLA’s margin to 29-18 at the 9:15 mark.
The Bruins led the Trojans at halftime, 56-34, equaling UCLA’s highest first-half point total of the season (also had 56 first-half points in a win against Nevada on Nov. 28, 2013).
Anderson shot 6-for-7 from the field in the first half, totaling 14 points by halftime. He also had six rebounds and five assists in the game's first 20 minutes.
The Trojans played with 7-foot-2 center Omar Oraby for most of the first half. He crashed to the floor holding his right ankle and had to be helped off of the court. He returned a few minutes later but was used sparingly and played just five minutes of the opening frame. He returned in the second half but fouled out with 7:39 remaining in regulation.
The Bruins opened the second half with a 12-3 run, taking a 68-37 lead in the process and never looked back.
USC put together a 14-2 scoring spurt, trimming the Bruins’ margin to 70-51, but the Trojans were unable to get any closer. Oraby and Julian Jacobs accounted for 10 of those points.
The Trojans were led by Byron Wesley and J.T. Terrell, who scored 21 and 14 points, respectively. Jacobs finished with 10.
UCLA will return to action against No. 1-ranked Arizona in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 9. Game time is 6 p.m. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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