Ellis scores 21 to help USC cruise past Colorado 84-65
AP
Feb 23, 2023
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Boogie Ellis scored 21 points and Southern California breezed to an 84-65 victory over Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday night.
Ellis made 7 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers for the Trojans (20-8, 12-5 Pac-12 Conference), who have won three straight. Kobe Johnson had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Reese Dixon-Waters added 15 points and five boards off the bench. Drew Peterson pitched in with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Tre White had 10 points and six rebounds.
KJ Simpson paced the Buffaloes (15-14, 7-11) with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Luke O'Brien added 12 points and five boards.
Ellis, the Pac-12's reigning player of the week, scored 11 points and White and Dixon-Waters added eight apiece as the Trojans shot 63% from the floor to build a 43-30 lead at intermission. USC Trojans made 17 of 27 shots, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range. Simpson had 10 points for the Buffaloes, who shot 42% overall but made just 2 of 10 from distance.
Colorado scored the first five points of the game, but White hit a jumper to give USC a 16-14 lead with 12:26 left before halftime. The Trojans never trailed again.
Simpson sank two free throws to pull Colorado within 61-52 with 9:26 left in the game. USC answered with a 10-0 run, capped by Johnson's three-point play and the Trojans led by 19 with 6:18 remaining.
Southern Cal shot 57% overall (33 of 48) and made 8 of 19 from beyond the arc (42%). Colorado shot 36% and hit just 6 of 28 from distance.
UP NEXT
USC: The Trojans travel to play Utah on Saturday.
Colorado: The Buffaloes host No. 4 UCLA on Sunday.
---
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll 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
USC
Trojans
43
COLO
Buffaloes
30
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Buffaloes gains possession)
19:34
+2
Nique Clifford makes two point jump shot
0-2
19:17
Drew Peterson turnover (Tristan da Silva steals)
19:03
Nique Clifford misses two point jump shot
19:01
Tre White defensive rebound
18:31
Drew Peterson misses two point jump shot
18:29
KJ Simpson defensive rebound
18:15
+3
KJ Simpson makes three point jump shot (Nique Clifford assists)
0-5
17:47
+3
Tre White makes three point jump shot (Drew Peterson assists)
3-5
17:26
+2
Nique Clifford makes two point jump shot
3-7
17:09
+2
Boogie Ellis makes two point layup
5-7
16:47
Tristan da Silva misses two point jump shot
16:45
Lawson Lovering offensive rebound
16:40
+2
Lawson Lovering makes two point dunk
5-9
16:35
Tre White turnover (KJ Simpson steals)
16:35
Tre White personal foul
16:20
Lawson Lovering turnover (traveling)
16:09
+2
Joshua Morgan makes two point layup (Boogie Ellis assists)
7-9
16:09
Nique Clifford shooting foul (Joshua Morgan draws the foul)
16:09
Joshua Morgan misses regular free throw 1 of 1
16:09
Lawson Lovering defensive rebound
15:53
Luke O'Brien misses three point jump shot
15:51
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
15:43
Boogie Ellis misses three point jump shot
15:41
Tristan da Silva defensive rebound
15:32
Kobe Johnson shooting foul (Luke O'Brien draws the foul)
15:32
TV timeout
15:32
+1
Luke O'Brien makes regular free throw 1 of 2
7-10
15:32
Luke O'Brien misses regular free throw 2 of 2
15:32
Reese Dixon-Waters defensive rebound
15:11
+3
Reese Dixon-Waters makes three point jump shot (Drew Peterson assists)
10-10
14:43
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point jump shot
10-12
14:22
+2
Drew Peterson makes two point layup
12-12
14:02
+2
Lawson Lovering makes two point layup (KJ Simpson assists)
12-14
13:51
KJ Simpson shooting foul (Boogie Ellis draws the foul)
13:51
+1
Boogie Ellis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
13-14
13:51
+1
Boogie Ellis makes regular free throw 2 of 2
14-14
13:27
Tre White blocks Julian Hammond III's two point jump shot
13:25
Julian Hammond III offensive rebound
13:18
Julian Hammond III misses two point jump shot
13:16
Vincent Iwuchukwu defensive rebound
13:01
Reese Dixon-Waters misses two point jump shot
13:01
Tristan da Silva defensive rebound
13:01
Vincent Iwuchukwu personal foul
12:47
Tristan da Silva misses two point layup
12:45
Reese Dixon-Waters defensive rebound
12:30
+2
Tre White makes two point jump shot
16-14
12:12
KJ Simpson misses three point jump shot
12:10
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
11:55
Joshua Morgan misses two point jump shot
11:53
Lawson Lovering defensive rebound
11:45
Tristan da Silva misses three point jump shot
11:43
Reese Dixon-Waters defensive rebound
11:27
Joshua Morgan turnover (lost ball) (Ethan Wright steals)
11:27
TV timeout
11:05
Ethan Wright misses two point layup
11:03
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
10:51
+2
Boogie Ellis makes two point layup
18-14
10:43
+2
Luke O'Brien makes two point layup (Tristan da Silva assists)
18-16
10:22
+2
Boogie Ellis makes two point layup
20-16
10:08
Tristan da Silva turnover (Joshua Morgan steals)
10:00
+3
Kobe Johnson makes three point jump shot (Drew Peterson assists)
23-16
9:43
Julian Hammond III turnover (Kobe Johnson steals)
9:32
+2
Drew Peterson makes two point jump shot
25-16
9:29
Buffaloes 30 second timeout
9:24
+2
Lawson Lovering makes two point jump shot
25-18
8:49
+2
Reese Dixon-Waters makes two point jump shot
27-18
8:34
Reese Dixon-Waters personal foul
8:22
Ethan Wright misses three point jump shot
8:20
Trojans defensive rebound
8:10
Ethan Wright personal foul
8:06
Drew Peterson misses three point jump shot
8:04
Buffaloes defensive rebound
7:53
KJ Simpson misses three point jump shot
7:51
Ethan Wright offensive rebound
7:43
+2
Luke O'Brien makes two point layup (Ethan Wright assists)
27-20
7:26
+3
Reese Dixon-Waters makes three point jump shot
30-20
7:08
Luke O'Brien misses two point jump shot
7:06
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
7:00
+3
Drew Peterson makes three point jump shot
33-20
6:30
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point layup
33-22
6:14
Kobe Johnson misses two point layup
6:12
Lawson Lovering defensive rebound
6:07
Reese Dixon-Waters shooting foul (KJ Simpson draws the foul)
6:07
TV timeout
6:07
+1
KJ Simpson makes regular free throw 1 of 2
33-23
6:07
KJ Simpson misses regular free throw 2 of 2
6:07
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
5:53
Boogie Ellis misses three point jump shot
5:51
Quincy Allen defensive rebound
5:50
Oziyah Sellers personal foul
5:36
Nique Clifford misses three point jump shot
5:34
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
5:23
+2
Kobe Johnson makes two point layup
35-23
5:03
Quincy Allen misses three point jump shot
5:01
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
5:01
Luke O'Brien personal foul
4:42
+3
Boogie Ellis makes three point jump shot (Oziyah Sellers assists)
38-23
4:17
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point jump shot
38-25
3:58
Drew Peterson misses two point jump shot
3:56
Luke O'Brien defensive rebound
3:44
+3
Quincy Allen makes three point jump shot (Luke O'Brien assists)
38-28
3:33
TV timeout
3:32
Trojans 30 second timeout
3:18
Lawson Lovering shooting foul (Tre White draws the foul)
3:18
Tre White misses regular free throw 1 of 2
3:18
+1
Tre White makes regular free throw 2 of 2
39-28
3:04
KJ Simpson misses two point jump shot
3:02
Lawson Lovering offensive rebound
2:55
Tristan da Silva misses three point jump shot
2:53
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
2:47
+2
Kijani Wright makes two point jump shot (Boogie Ellis assists)
41-28
2:23
Ethan Wright turnover (Kijani Wright steals)
2:23
Lawson Lovering personal foul
2:03
Boogie Ellis misses three point jump shot
2:01
Tre White offensive rebound
1:54
Quincy Allen blocks Drew Peterson's three point jump shot
1:52
Trojans offensive rebound
1:39
Trojans turnover (shot clock violation)
1:26
+2
Tristan da Silva makes two point layup (Luke O'Brien assists)
41-30
1:01
+2
Tre White makes two point jump shot
43-30
0:48
Ethan Wright misses two point layup
0:46
Kijani Wright defensive rebound
0:26
Kobe Johnson turnover (Luke O'Brien steals)
0:26
Luke O'Brien turnover (Tre White steals)
0:26
Luke O'Brien shooting foul (Kijani Wright draws the foul)
0:26
Kijani Wright misses regular free throw 1 of 2
0:26
Kijani Wright misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:26
Ethan Wright defensive rebound
0:03
Nique Clifford misses two point layup
0:01
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
0:01
Kobe Johnson turnover (KJ Simpson steals)
0:00
End of period
2nd Half
USC
Trojans
41
COLO
Buffaloes
35
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:35
Drew Peterson misses three point jump shot
19:33
Tre White offensive rebound
19:19
Boogie Ellis turnover (Luke O'Brien steals)
19:13
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point layup
43-32
18:49
+3
Boogie Ellis makes three point jump shot
46-32
18:27
Tristan da Silva misses two point jump shot
18:25
Buffaloes offensive rebound
18:11
KJ Simpson misses three point jump shot
18:09
Luke O'Brien offensive rebound
18:05
Tre White shooting foul (Luke O'Brien draws the foul)
18:05
+1
Luke O'Brien makes regular free throw 1 of 2
46-33
18:05
+1
Luke O'Brien makes regular free throw 2 of 2
46-34
17:51
Boogie Ellis misses three point jump shot
17:49
Tristan da Silva defensive rebound
17:40
Nique Clifford misses two point jump shot
17:38
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
17:32
Lawson Lovering personal foul
17:23
Kobe Johnson misses three point jump shot
17:21
Luke O'Brien defensive rebound
16:58
Luke O'Brien misses three point jump shot
16:56
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
16:45
+2
Tre White makes two point dunk
48-34
16:31
Joshua Morgan blocks KJ Simpson's two point layup
16:29
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
16:08
Nique Clifford personal foul
16:02
Nique Clifford blocks Boogie Ellis's two point layup
16:00
KJ Simpson defensive rebound
15:54
Julian Hammond III misses three point jump shot
15:54
Buffaloes offensive rebound
15:54
TV timeout
15:48
Tristan da Silva turnover (Kobe Johnson steals)
15:44
+2
Kobe Johnson makes two point dunk (Vincent Iwuchukwu assists)
50-34
15:32
+2
Tristan da Silva makes two point layup
50-36
15:16
+2
Reese Dixon-Waters makes two point jump shot
52-36
15:08
Julian Hammond III misses three point jump shot
15:06
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
14:59
Luke O'Brien shooting foul (Boogie Ellis draws the foul)
14:59
+1
Boogie Ellis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
53-36
14:59
Boogie Ellis misses regular free throw 2 of 2
14:59
Buffaloes defensive rebound
14:42
+3
Quincy Allen makes three point jump shot (KJ Simpson assists)
53-39
14:25
Vincent Iwuchukwu turnover (lost ball) (KJ Simpson steals)
14:19
Quincy Allen misses two point jump shot
14:17
Vincent Iwuchukwu defensive rebound
14:07
+2
Drew Peterson makes two point layup
55-39
13:47
+3
Ethan Wright makes three point jump shot (Julian Hammond III assists)
55-42
13:27
Kobe Johnson misses three point jump shot
13:25
Tristan da Silva defensive rebound
13:18
+3
Ethan Wright makes three point jump shot (Quincy Allen assists)
55-45
13:17
Trojans 30 second timeout
13:17
TV timeout
13:05
Boogie Ellis misses three point jump shot
13:03
Boogie Ellis offensive rebound
12:57
Ethan Wright personal foul
12:49
Quincy Allen blocks Drew Peterson's two point layup
12:47
Julian Hammond III defensive rebound
12:42
+2
Lawson Lovering makes two point dunk (KJ Simpson assists)
55-47
12:31
+2
Boogie Ellis makes two point jump shot
57-47
12:04
Ethan Wright misses three point jump shot
12:02
Julian Hammond III offensive rebound
11:56
Quincy Allen misses three point jump shot
11:54
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
11:47
Boogie Ellis turnover (KJ Simpson steals)
11:43
Tre White shooting foul (Quincy Allen draws the foul)
11:42
TV timeout
11:43
Quincy Allen misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:43
+1
Quincy Allen makes regular free throw 2 of 2
57-48
11:22
Drew Peterson misses two point jump shot
11:20
Lawson Lovering defensive rebound
11:10
Lawson Lovering misses two point jump shot
11:08
Joshua Morgan defensive rebound
10:49
+2
Joshua Morgan makes two point layup (Reese Dixon-Waters assists)
59-48
10:35
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point layup
59-50
10:12
+2
Joshua Morgan makes two point hook shot (Drew Peterson assists)
61-50
9:53
Lawson Lovering misses two point jump shot
9:51
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
9:37
Tre White misses two point jump shot
9:35
KJ Simpson defensive rebound
9:26
Joshua Morgan shooting foul (KJ Simpson draws the foul)
9:26
+1
KJ Simpson makes regular free throw 1 of 2
61-51
9:26
+1
KJ Simpson makes regular free throw 2 of 2
61-52
9:17
Luke O'Brien shooting foul (Reese Dixon-Waters draws the foul)
9:17
Reese Dixon-Waters misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:17
+1
Reese Dixon-Waters makes regular free throw 2 of 2
62-52
9:01
KJ Simpson misses two point layup
8:59
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
8:38
Boogie Ellis misses two point layup
8:36
Kijani Wright offensive rebound
8:33
+2
Kijani Wright makes two point layup
64-52
8:22
Quincy Allen misses three point jump shot
8:20
Reese Dixon-Waters defensive rebound
8:03
+2
Boogie Ellis makes two point layup (Reese Dixon-Waters assists)
66-52
7:51
Buffaloes 30 second timeout
7:51
TV timeout
7:31
Nique Clifford misses two point jump shot
7:29
Reese Dixon-Waters defensive rebound
7:11
KJ Simpson shooting foul (Reese Dixon-Waters draws the foul)
7:11
+1
Reese Dixon-Waters makes regular free throw 1 of 2
67-52
7:11
+1
Reese Dixon-Waters makes regular free throw 2 of 2
68-52
6:59
Reese Dixon-Waters personal foul
6:45
KJ Simpson misses three point jump shot
6:43
Trojans defensive rebound
6:18
+2
Kobe Johnson makes two point layup
70-52
6:18
Quincy Allen shooting foul (Kobe Johnson draws the foul)
6:18
+1
Kobe Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 1
71-52
6:05
Kobe Johnson shooting foul (Lawson Lovering draws the foul)
6:05
+1
Lawson Lovering makes regular free throw 1 of 2
71-53
6:05
Lawson Lovering misses regular free throw 2 of 2
6:05
Drew Peterson defensive rebound
5:39
+2
Drew Peterson makes two point layup
73-53
5:16
+2
Nique Clifford makes two point jump shot
73-55
5:16
Reese Dixon-Waters shooting foul (Nique Clifford draws the foul)
5:16
+1
Nique Clifford makes regular free throw 1 of 1
73-56
4:50
Nique Clifford blocks Boogie Ellis's two point layup
4:48
Lawson Lovering defensive rebound
4:32
+2
KJ Simpson makes two point jump shot
73-58
4:06
Reese Dixon-Waters misses three point jump shot
4:04
Kijani Wright offensive rebound
3:59
Kijani Wright misses two point layup
3:57
Luke O'Brien defensive rebound
3:53
Tristan da Silva misses three point jump shot
3:51
Buffaloes offensive rebound
3:51
TV timeout
3:47
Kobe Johnson shooting foul (Tristan da Silva draws the foul)
3:47
+1
Tristan da Silva makes regular free throw 1 of 2
73-59
3:47
+1
Tristan da Silva makes regular free throw 2 of 2
73-60
3:25
+2
Reese Dixon-Waters makes two point layup
75-60
2:59
Quincy Allen misses three point jump shot
2:57
Kobe Johnson defensive rebound
2:49
Quincy Allen blocks Boogie Ellis's two point layup
2:47
KJ Simpson defensive rebound
2:44
+2
Luke O'Brien makes two point dunk (KJ Simpson assists)
75-62
2:44
Trojans 30 second timeout
2:42
KJ Simpson personal foul (Reese Dixon-Waters draws the foul)
2:42
Reese Dixon-Waters misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:42
Luke O'Brien defensive rebound
2:34
KJ Simpson misses two point layup
2:32
Tre White defensive rebound
2:13
+2
Joshua Morgan makes two point layup (Drew Peterson assists)
77-62
1:58
Tristan da Silva misses three point jump shot
1:56
KJ Simpson offensive rebound
1:49
Joshua Morgan blocks KJ Simpson's two point layup
1:47
Tre White defensive rebound
1:43
Quincy Allen blocks Reese Dixon-Waters's two point layup
1:41
KJ Simpson defensive rebound
1:36
Joshua Morgan blocks Nique Clifford's three point jump shot
1:34
Trojans defensive rebound
1:31
Nique Clifford personal foul (Boogie Ellis draws the foul)
1:31
+1
Boogie Ellis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
78-62
1:31
+1
Boogie Ellis makes regular free throw 2 of 2
79-62
1:24
Quincy Allen misses three point jump shot
1:22
Trojans defensive rebound
0:51
+3
Kobe Johnson makes three point jump shot (Drew Peterson assists)
82-62
0:40
Nique Clifford misses three point jump shot
0:38
Tre White defensive rebound
0:10
+2
Kobe Johnson makes two point layup
84-62
0:02
+3
Luke O'Brien makes three point jump shot (KJ Simpson assists)