No. 19 USC Men's Basketball Falls Short In Tight Battle At No. 7 Arizona, 72-63
Isaiah Mobley finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn't enough as No. 19 USC men's basketball fell to No. 7 Arizona, 72-63 in Tucson on Saturday.
Isaiah White added nine points — all from three 3-pointers on seven attempts. Ethan Anderson, Boogie Ellis and Chevez Goodwin each scored eight.
Arizona was the first ranked opponent the Trojans have faced this season. The Wildcats entered the game coming off a 76-66 win against No. 3 UCLA on Thursday.
USC forced a tight battle with Arizona throughout the entire contest. The game at the raucous McKale Center in front of 14,644 fans saw 14 total lead changes and 11 ties.
Despite assisting on 18 of 24 field goals, USC shot just 34.3% from the field — the Trojans' second-worst shooting performance of the season — and was 7-for-30 from the 3-point line. USC defeated Arizona State, 58-53, while shooting a season-worst 30% overall.
USC had a similar start to Thursday's game at Arizona State by shooting well out of tipoff and suffering a cold spell immediately after. The Trojans made five of their first seven field goals before going on a nearly five-minute scoring drought. USC's defense kept the Trojans in the second half, pressuring Arizona on a near seven-minute scoring drought.
The Wildcats broke out on a 7-0 run toward the end of the first half, but a 3-pointer from White, a layup from Goodwin and a buzzer-beating baseline jumper from Anderson cut the Trojans' deficit to one-point at halftime.
Refs reversed to a long 2, but we made clutch buckets down the stretch to make this a 1-point game at the break!
📺: FOX
📱: https://t.co/bhKIO2xa6T pic.twitter.com/kpO2hTnbOO— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) February 5, 2022
USC kept its momentum well into the second half. The Trojans went on a 10-run that lasted into the 6:29 mark of the second half, but that proved to be the final moment USC had control.
ALLEY-OOP.
TIE GAME.
📺: FOX
📱: https://t.co/bhKIO2xa6T pic.twitter.com/nF9GmuHjWX— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) February 5, 2022
Following the Trojans' run, Arizona closed the second half on a 18-3 stretch. Kerr Kriisa hit a 3-pointer at the 5:54 mark that tied the game, and Azuolas Tubelis made a fastbreak dunk to make the Wildcats' surge insurmountable.
USC returns to the Galen Center on Tuesday to host non-conference foe Pacific (7:00 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks). The Trojans then face rival UCLA (7:00 p.m. PT, ESPN) on Feb. 12, the Saturday before next week's Super Bowl.
Just needed a few more shots to fall. pic.twitter.com/sOEYg9ggV7
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) February 6, 2022