USC routs No. 21 UCLA 66-48 and ties Bruins atop Pac-12
AP
Feb 07, 2021
LOS ANGELES (AP) Move over, UCLA Bruins. Your crosstown rival has joined you atop the Pac-12 standings.
Ethan Anderson had career highs of five 3-pointers and 19 points, and Southern California Trojans routed the 21st-ranked Bruins 66-48 on Saturday night to tie them for first place at 9-2 in the league.
''This is a very big night for me just because I haven't seen my shots fall the way I wanted them to,'' said Anderson, who returned three weeks ago after back issues forced him out in early December. ''I'm glad my teammates trusted me with the ball. We did a good job of being unselfish tonight.''
Tahj Eaddy added 16 points for the Trojans (15-3), who have won four in a row and 10 of 11 since the program was shut down due to COVID-19 issues in December.
The Mobley brothers helped USC control the boards, 40-33. Freshman big man Evan Mobley, the league's leading rebounder, had nine rebounds and older brother Isaiah grabbed 11.
Johnny Juzang led the short-handed Bruins (13-4) with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He was their only double-digit scorer on a team that features four starters averaging double figures.
''You're not winning games scoring 48 points,'' UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. ''We didn't come close to making enough (shots) to give ourselves a chance against a good team. They're a team that, in my mind, easily could have one loss.''
UCLA's frontline took a hit before the game when big men Cody Riley (right ankle) and Jalen Hill (personal reasons) were declared out. Riley got hurt in practice Friday. Between them, they average 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Anderson took over during a dominant stretch in the second half. He scored eight straight points, hitting two 3s. Max Agbonkpolo missed the second of two free throws and Chevez Goodwin snagged the offensive board, passing to Anderson for his fifth 3-pointer of the game.
''Ethan played tremendous basketball on both ends,'' USC coach Andy Enfield said. ''Tonight was a great game to get his confidence where it needs to be for us to compete in the next eight games.''
Anderson's acrobatic shot under the basket and three straight free throws by Agbonkpolo extended USC's lead to 19 points - its largest of the game.
''All credit to him. He hit some really big shots for them,'' Bruins guard Tyger Campbell said of Anderson. ''Our scouting report was something different. He's a good player.''
The Bruins were limited to 34% shooting, missing open looks at times only to watch one Mobley brother or the other rip down a rebound. The Mobleys were disruptors inside, too, altering shots against the smaller Bruins. Evan finished with four blocks.
UCLA surprised its rival by playing zone defense for the first time this season.
''We dusted off our zone plays and everyone had to remember what we were trying to do,'' Enfield said.
The Trojans took control with runs of 10-0 and 9-0 in the first half to lead 30-20 at the break. The Bruins' points were their fewest in the first half this season. UCLA closed within one only to get outscored 13-4 to end the half. Noah Baumann and Eaddy combined to hit three consecutive 3-pointers for the Trojans.
The crosstown rivalry was muted by no fans allowed for the nationally televised game, just cardboard cutouts at Galen Center.
It was another bitter defeat at USC for the Bruins. They dropped both meetings last season, including a 54-52 heartbreaker on a 3-pointer by Jonah Mathews that ended UCLA's seven-game winning streak. That game on March 7 proved to be the last for both teams, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing an early end to the season.
''We defended and kept our effort up despite abysmal shooting,'' Cronin said. ''The guys gave everything they had.''
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: Four of the Bruins' seven scheduled games remaining are against teams with losing records.
USC: The Trojans have been resilient through the pandemic and are poised to crack the Top 25 for the first time this season.
BIG MAC
Mac Etienne, a 6-foot-9 freshman from New York City, made his college debut for the Bruins. He had eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 27 minutes. He also had four turnovers. He enrolled at UCLA in December after graduating high school early.
''He was on a mission to get himself on the floor. He wasn't waiting until next November,'' Cronin said. ''You can see he has a tremendous amount of potential.''
UP NEXT
UCLA: Visits Washington State on Thursday, a team the Bruins beat by 30 points last month.
USC: Plays at Washington on Thursday. The Trojans won by 27 points in the first meeting.
---
More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
1st Half
UCLA
Bruins
20
USC
Trojans
30
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Jules Bernard vs. Tahj Eaddy (Trojans gains possession)
19:41
Isaiah White misses two point jump shot
19:39
Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound
19:19
+2
Johnny Juzang makes two point jump shot
2-0
19:03
+2
Evan Mobley makes two point hook shot (Drew Peterson assists)
2-2
18:46
Johnny Juzang misses three point jump shot
18:44
Isaiah Mobley defensive rebound
18:30
Isaiah White misses three point jump shot
18:28
Johnny Juzang defensive rebound
18:20
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses three point jump shot
18:18
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
18:14
Isaiah White turnover (out of bounds)
17:49
+2
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point jump shot (Tyger Campbell assists)
4-2
17:36
Isaiah Mobley offensive foul
17:36
Isaiah Mobley turnover
17:23
+2
Tyger Campbell makes two point jump shot
6-2
17:03
Kenneth Nwuba blocks Isaiah White's two point layup
17:01
Tahj Eaddy offensive rebound
16:53
Tahj Eaddy misses two point jump shot
16:51
Isaiah Mobley offensive rebound
16:48
+2
Isaiah White makes two point layup (Isaiah Mobley assists)
6-4
16:20
Jules Bernard misses three point jump shot
16:18
Isaiah Mobley defensive rebound
16:02
+2
Drew Peterson makes two point jump shot
6-6
15:30
Tyger Campbell misses three point jump shot
15:28
Evan Mobley defensive rebound
15:06
+2
Isaiah Mobley makes two point jump shot
6-8
14:44
Johnny Juzang turnover (lost ball) (Drew Peterson steals)
14:38
Tahj Eaddy misses two point jump shot
14:36
Isaiah White offensive rebound
14:32
Tahj Eaddy misses three point jump shot
14:30
Trojans offensive rebound
14:32
Tyger Campbell personal foul
14:32
TV timeout
14:27
+3
Ethan Anderson makes three point jump shot (Max Agbonkpolo assists)
6-11
14:10
Evan Mobley blocks Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s two point jump shot
14:08
Evan Mobley defensive rebound
13:49
Max Agbonkpolo misses three point jump shot
13:47
Bruins defensive rebound
13:48
Chevez Goodwin personal foul
13:24
Tyger Campbell misses three point jump shot
13:22
Bruins offensive rebound
13:10
Johnny Juzang misses two point jump shot
13:08
Evan Mobley defensive rebound
12:51
Evan Mobley misses two point jump shot
12:49
Johnny Juzang defensive rebound
12:42
David Singleton misses three point jump shot
12:40
Evan Mobley defensive rebound
12:29
Ethan Anderson misses three point jump shot
12:27
Evan Mobley offensive rebound
12:30
David Singleton shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul)
12:30
+1
Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 1
6-12
12:30
Evan Mobley misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:09
+3
Jaylen Clark makes three point jump shot (David Singleton assists)
9-12
11:51
Noah Baumann misses three point jump shot
11:49
David Singleton defensive rebound
11:39
Johnny Juzang misses two point jump shot
11:37
Chevez Goodwin defensive rebound
11:19
+2
Chevez Goodwin makes two point jump shot (Max Agbonkpolo assists)
9-14
10:52
+2
Mac Etienne makes two point hook shot (Johnny Juzang assists)
11-14
10:34
+3
Ethan Anderson makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists)
11-17
10:01
David Singleton misses two point jump shot
9:59
Noah Baumann defensive rebound
9:51
Noah Baumann misses three point jump shot
9:49
Mac Etienne defensive rebound
9:38
+2
Jake Kyman makes two point jump shot (Johnny Juzang assists)
13-17
9:14
Ethan Anderson misses three point jump shot
9:12
Evan Mobley offensive rebound
9:07
TV timeout
8:50
Ethan Anderson misses two point jump shot
8:48
Trojans offensive rebound
8:50
Trojans turnover (shot clock violation)
8:36
Tyger Campbell misses two point layup
8:34
Trojans defensive rebound
8:25
Ethan Anderson turnover (bad pass) (Jules Bernard steals)
8:16
+3
Jake Kyman makes three point jump shot (Jules Bernard assists)
16-17
8:12
Trojans 30 second timeout
8:12
TV timeout
7:54
+2
Isaiah Mobley makes two point layup (Evan Mobley assists)
16-19
7:36
Drew Peterson shooting foul (Jules Bernard draws the foul)
7:36
Jules Bernard misses regular free throw 1 of 2
7:36
Jules Bernard misses regular free throw 2 of 2
7:36
Isaiah Mobley defensive rebound
7:14
+2
Evan Mobley makes two point hook shot (Drew Peterson assists)
16-21
6:57
Tyger Campbell misses two point jump shot
6:55
Jaime Jaquez Jr. offensive rebound
6:50
Jake Kyman misses three point jump shot
6:48
Kenneth Nwuba offensive rebound
6:37
+2
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point jump shot
18-21
6:09
Drew Peterson misses three point jump shot
6:07
Tyger Campbell defensive rebound
6:02
Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Drew Peterson steals)
5:52
Tahj Eaddy misses three point jump shot
5:50
Isaiah Mobley offensive rebound
5:52
Isaiah Mobley turnover (lost ball) (Jules Bernard steals)
5:32
Kenneth Nwuba misses two point jump shot
5:30
Evan Mobley defensive rebound
5:21
Drew Peterson misses three point jump shot
5:19
Mac Etienne defensive rebound
5:14
Mac Etienne turnover (traveling)
4:59
Tahj Eaddy turnover (traveling)
4:46
Mac Etienne turnover (lost ball)
4:30
Drew Peterson misses two point jump shot
4:28
Jaylen Clark defensive rebound
4:07
Johnny Juzang misses two point jump shot
4:05
Trojans defensive rebound
4:02
Jaylen Clark personal foul
3:45
Tahj Eaddy misses three point jump shot
3:43
Johnny Juzang defensive rebound
3:25
Jules Bernard misses two point jump shot
3:23
Tahj Eaddy defensive rebound
3:17
+3
Noah Baumann makes three point jump shot (Tahj Eaddy assists)
18-24
3:12
Bruins 30 second timeout
3:12
TV timeout
2:49
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point layup
2:47
Chevez Goodwin defensive rebound
2:18
+3
Tahj Eaddy makes three point jump shot (Isaiah White assists)
18-27
1:47
Johnny Juzang misses two point layup
1:45
Johnny Juzang offensive rebound
1:35
Johnny Juzang misses two point tip shot
1:33
Chevez Goodwin defensive rebound
1:21
Isaiah Mobley misses three point jump shot
1:21
Chevez Goodwin offensive rebound
1:21
Mac Etienne blocks Chevez Goodwin's two point layup
1:19
David Singleton defensive rebound
1:07
Johnny Juzang misses two point jump shot
1:05
Isaiah Mobley defensive rebound
0:58
+3
Tahj Eaddy makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Mobley assists)
18-30
0:45
Chevez Goodwin personal foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul)
0:42
+2
Mac Etienne makes two point layup (Tyger Campbell assists)
20-30
0:24
Isaiah White misses three point jump shot
0:22
Isaiah Mobley offensive rebound
0:04
Noah Baumann misses three point jump shot
0:02
Trojans offensive rebound
0:02
Trojans turnover (shot clock violation)
2nd Half
UCLA
Bruins
28
USC
Trojans
36
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:42
Isaiah White turnover (traveling)
19:12
+2
Jules Bernard makes two point layup
22-30
19:01
+2
Evan Mobley makes two point jump shot
22-32
18:30
Jules Bernard misses two point layup
18:28
Jaime Jaquez Jr. offensive rebound
18:25
Tyger Campbell turnover (out of bounds)
18:06
+2
Tahj Eaddy makes two point jump shot
22-34
17:59
Isaiah White personal foul (Jules Bernard draws the foul)