TUCSON, AZ – Looking to rebound after its shocking loss to Washington State last weekend, No. 12 Arizona Basketball (13-4, 4-2) beat USC (8-10, 2-5) by an 82-67 final.
Well, it wasn't the prettiest win; however, for a team that has won just five of its last nine games, No. 12 Arizona Basketball needed to get back on track in a big way on Wednesday.
And fresh off a loss to Washington State this past weekend it was sorely needed, especially as the Wildcats seemed to have a favorable matchup on its hands as they welcomed the USC Trojans to town.
Even though USC was without Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis, the Trojans seemed unafraid to compete, putting a bit of pressure on the Wildcats before Arizona was able to pull away by an 82-67 final.
Relying on a solid defensive effort in which the Wildcats shot 28-70 (40.0 percent) from the field, including 10-26 (38.5 percent) from three, Arizona had four of its starters finish in double figures, with Caleb Love once again leading the way with 20 points on 7-16 shooting (5-12 from three).
Arizona's bench had a respectable day, scoring a combined 20 points with Jaden Bradley leading the way with 10 points and three assists.
After jumping out to a 10-point halftime lead, No. 12 Arizona Basketball maintained its lead, cruising to the 15-point win!
Returning to the friendly confines of the McKale Center after a brief trip to the Pacific Northwest, Wednesday night proved that there is no place like home, especially as Arizona played in front of an energetic and star-studded crowd!
And resuming conference action against an undermanned USC team, it didn't take long for the Wildcats to assert its dominance in this one, especially as Arizona jumped out to an early, 7-0 lead just barely a minute into the game.
Feeding off the energy in McKale, Arizona continued its strong play as they extended their lead to as many as 11 points just minutes later.
Unfortunately, USC would start to come alive, responding with a 13-6 run to cut Arizona's lead to just four at 23-19 with 9:45 to play.
Struggling to regain momentum, USC would pull within three after a fastbreak layup from DJ Rodman made it 31-28.
Luckily for us, Arizona would close out the half on a 14-7 run to lead by 10 as the Wildcats headed into halftime!
Leading comfortably, Arizona would continue to wear down the Trojans, especially as their thin depth became an issue.
Eventually, Arizona was able to extend its lead to 18 after a second chance layup from Motiejus Krivas made it 64-46 with 11:36 to play.
USC would try and climb back in, but with everyone USC run, the Wildcats responded, even extending its lead to as many as 19 in this one.
Unfortunately, USC would cut Arizona's lead to as little as 10 with 2:10 to play, but it was too little too late as the Wildcats held on and came away with the 82-67 win!
Nothing like a McKale W 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Kic2FCk32R
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 18, 2024
With the victory, the Wildcats improve to 13-4 (4-2) on the year and will resume conference action on Saturday when they play host to the UCLA Bruins! Tip-off on Saturday against the Bruins is set for 2:00 PM MST and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!