UCLA and USC basketball rivalry week part 1 game 2
By Ryan Kay
Here are the last five games best games that were recently played between UCLA and USC.
No. 5
2019: UCLA 93-88 OT
No. 4
2020: USC 54-52
No. 3
2021: USC 64-63
No. 2
2022: USC 67-64
Key Player: With a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, Drew Peterson recorded his first double-double of the season, helping No. 21 USC defeat No. 12 UCLA 67-64.
Overcoming a key player being out due to injury: In spite of missing their top scorer Isaiah Mobley for the second consecutive game due to symptoms similar to a concussion, the Trojans won their fifth straight rivalry game against UCLA. The week before, Mobley broke his nose during a loss to No. 4 Arizona.
The Crowd was a factor: The raucous USC home crowd rushed the floor at Galen Center after the Trojans victory. It was the largest student section to witness a game since the facility opened in 2006.
No. 1
2023: UCLA 60-58
UCLA had an outstanding first half: The Bruins outscored the Trojans by 18 points in the first half. UCLA also held the USC offense to only 26 first half points.
Three Bruins scored in double digits: Jaylen Clark scored 15 points and David Singleton and Jamie Jaquez Jr. each scored 12 points in the Bruins victory over the Trojans.
UCLA overcame a second half surge by USC: The Trojans outscored the Bruins by 16 points in the second half. USC also held UCLA's offense to only 16 second half points. However, the Bruins weathered the storm and won by two.
Bonus: Last game between UCLA and USC
In a match between crosstown rivals who at this point of the season were both having lackluster seasons, Dylan Andrews scored 20 points and Lazar Stefanovic added 17 points, and UCLA won at Southern California by fifteen points. When the Bruins and Trojans faced off for this game, it was the first game since 2004 that both teams had losing records.
The Bruins ended a five-game losing streak with their first victory on USC's home court since 2018. They fell behind by seven points halfway through the first half, but they rallied for a 22-4 run that gave them a 11 point lead at the break.