The No. 5 seed UCLA Bruins got off to a horrendous start on Wednesday afternoon at Staples Center, but patiently and methodically beat down the No. 12 USC Trojans in a 55-40 win in the opening round of the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament. It was the third victory in as many games for the Bruins over the Trojans this season, by an average margin of 14.7 points per game.
UCLA (19-13) advances to play the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. PST.
Lazeric Jones scored 15 points to lead UCLA, which shot 33.9% from the field. That number may seem terrible, but it is quite good considering the Bruins made just five of their first 24 shots in the game. The Bruins went on a stretch of 5:42 in the first half without a point and trailed 21-13. But UCLA ended the half on a 9-0 run to take a slim one-point lead, then never looked back.
Earlier today: Oregon State 69, Washington State 64 - Beavers advance to face No. 1 seed Washington
Travis Wear had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Bruins, while twin brother David Wear had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Byron Wesley scored 13 points to lead the Trojans, while Garrett Jackson added 11 points. Maurice Jones had seven points, six rebounds, and five assists for USC, which ended their season with 10 straight losses and 19 defeats in their final 20 games. At 6-26, the Trojans have the most losses in school history.
Click here for the full schedule and tournament bracket. For more on UCLA hoops, head over to Bruins Nation. For more on USC, head to Conquest Chronicles.