The Pac-12 Conference is having a down year in basketball, to put it mildly, but it appears the USC Trojans are taking that putridity to new depths. The Trojans are retiring the jersey of former All-American Harold Miner a halftime Sunday, but they may want to see if he can suit up in the second half, as the UCLA Bruins used a 24-6 run to take control at Galen Center with a 37-19 halftime lead over the Trojans.
Maurice Jones hit a three-pointer at the first half buzzer to cut that UCLA lead to 18. USC shot 29.2% (seven for 24) in the first half. UCLA had 20 points in the paint, compared to just 10 for the Trojans, and shot 64% from the field (16 for 25).
The Bruins are simply too big for the Trojans, as their 21-7 rebounding edge showed. Travis Wear had eight points and four rebounds in the first half, while Norman Powell chipped in with five points and five rebounds in just 10 minutes off the bench. Lazeric Jones led UCLA with 11 points and four assists in the opening 20 minutes.
For more local college hoops news, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles and Bruins Nation.