USC men’s basketball falls to UCLA in the Pac-12 tourney

Daily Trojan

With 12 seconds left on the clock in Las Vegas, sophomore forward Bennie Boatwright tossed up a 3-pointer. The ball sailed in an arc and swished definitively. It was exactly what the Trojans needed, but the shot summed up the game for the Trojans — too little, too late.In the teams’ third meeting of the season, the Trojans fell 76-74 to the UCLA Bruins on Thursday night in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament. The night was highlighted by an 18-point performance from junior point guard Jordan McLaughlin, but poor shooting and tough defense from UCLA kept the Trojans from ever taking the lead.
The Trojans began with one of their slowest starts of the season, missing their first 10 shots from the field. UCLA took advantage of the offensive drought, leaping out to a 14-3 lead. For the first 10 minutes, the Trojan offense looked lost against the UCLA zone.
“Our best players didn’t play very well in those stretches,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “Our starting lineup has to do a better job. You can’t just go 0-for-8 or 0-for-9. Our starters have to do much better or they won’t be starting much longer.”
A rhythm developed slowly under the leadership of junior guard Elijah Stewart, who came off of the bench to lead the Trojans in a first half comeback. While the Bruins had the chance to put the Trojans away early in the half, they also struggled from the field, shooting 45 percent in the first half.
Although the Bruins led by as much as 12 points, the the Trojans continued to chip at that lead. Key 3-pointers from Boatwright, freshman guard Jonah Mathews and Stewart gave the team scattered bursts of life.
The Trojans’ increased success in outside shooting was not matched, however, in the paint. The presence of sophomore forward Chimezie Metu was missed throughout ...

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