UCLA Defeats USC, 85-74, in Final Regular-Season Game

LOS ANGELES - Bryce Alford scored a game-high 23 points and Tony Parker added 22 as UCLA defeated USC, 85-74, before 10,734 in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

UCLA (19-12, 11-7) secured the No. 4 seed in next week's Pac-12 Tournament, clinching a first-round bye after notching its fifth consecutive win over USC (11-19, 3-15). Wednesday's game marked the Bruins' final regular-season contest.

“Senior night can always be pretty emotional, but I thought we did a good job of handling that,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “I'm really proud of how our guys were able to get a win.”

UCLA honored its four senior student-athletes – Norman Powell, David Brown, Nick Kazemi and Kory Alford – prior to the game, in addition to a pair of senior student managers, Justin Gudger and Chase Laliotis.

The Bruins led through the majority of the contest, taking a 13-12 lead with 14:11 to play before halftime and never trailing after that point.

UCLA finished with its five starters all scoring in double figures. In addition to Alford's 23 points and Parker's 22, Isaac Hamilton and Kevon Looney each totaled 13 points and Powell registered 12.

Katin Reinhardt totaled a team-leading 22 points for USC, connecting on 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range.

The Bruins pushed their lead to 46-35 by halftime, shooting 53 percent in the first half. UCLA led by as many as 18 points (41-23) in the first half before USC closed the opening half on a 12-5 scoring run.

UCLA stretched its second-half cushion to as many as 15 points, leading 78-63 with 4:54 to play in regulation.

Alford, who scored at least 20 points for the seventh time this season, made each of his first five 3-point shots, finishing 5-for-6 from 3-point range. In total, UCLA made 9 of 16 shots from long distance (56.3 percent).

Looney totaled 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to log his first double-double since the Bruins' 72-63 win over Oregon on Feb. 14.

With Wednesday's night win, Steve Alford improved his record to 4-0 as UCLA's head coach versus crosstown rival USC. In addition, the Bruins earned their ninth win in their last 10 games against the Trojans.

UCLA will open Pac-12 Tournament play on Thursday, March 12, in a quarterfinal match against the No. 5-seeded team at MGM Grand Garden Arena at 2:30 p.m. (PT).