Not too long ago, UCLA was relishing a streak of consistent success against its crosstown rival in two sports: football and men’s basketball.
The football team had won three straight games over USC, a streak dating back to 2012. The men’s basketball team had won six straight matchups, with its last loss coming in January 2013.
Both of those streaks are long gone now.
First, it was the UCLA football team falling 40-21 in November at the L.A. Coliseum. On Wednesday, it was the Bruin men’s basketball team (11-7, 2-3 Pac-12) crumbling before a Trojan stampede at Pauley Pavilion.
USC led for nearly 35 of the game’s 40 minutes. They got to the free-throw line 23 times, making 18 of those attempts. There were no late-game heroics needed, the Trojans simply took it to the Bruins, exposing an inconsistent UCLA defense all over the floor.
“We just can’t figure out a way to guard,” said coach Steve Alford, whose team allowed USC to shoot 45 percent from beyond the arc. “Until we’re able to defend, we’re gonna be on the short end a lot.”
Photo Gallery: UCLA men’s basketball falls to USC for first time since 2013
The USC team that took the floor Wednesday was far from the mistake-ridden, sloppy USC team that UCLA had dominated the past two seasons. These Trojans (15-3, 4-1) had the look of a group that can contend for a Pac-12 title this year.
“(USC) is just a more experienced team (this year),” said UCLA senior forward/center Tony Parker. “It’s easier for them now because their guards are older. … They just get it. Teams are gonna grow, (and) they’re gonna keep growing.”
But this USC team isn’t just more experienced, it is also more talented. The Trojans added two key freshmen in the frontcourt this offseason – forwards Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu – each of whom have made an impact this season. On Wednesday night, Metu was pivotal.
The 6-foot-11 freshman from Lawndale showed aggression all night long, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting. He also added four offensive rebounds, paving the way for USC’s 16 second-chance points.
“He’s a great player, he’s extremely athletic,” said UCLA sophomore center Thomas Welsh of Metu. “He got in a rhythm early on, we just gave him some good opportunities and he finished them.”
UCLA was neck-and-neck with USC for the first eight minutes of the game, taking a four-point lead at the 13:35 mark in the first half. But after USC went on a 13-0 run from the 13:05 to 8:38 mark, UCLA could never catch up. The Bruins simply couldn’t get the defensive stops they needed to mount a substantial comeback.
“Defense is what saves you, and we didn’t guard tough enough tonight,” Parker said.
Parker did just about everything he could on the offensive end, scoring a game-high and season-high 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting. In fact, UCLA played above average on offense, shooting 44.3 percent overall and a blazing 55.6 percent in the second half.
But seemingly every time the UCLA offense got the Bruins back in the game, the UCLA defense took them right back out of it.
The Bruins cut their deficit to 10 points at the 13:37 mark in the second half, bringing the Pauley Pavilion crowd of nearly 13,000 back into the game. But after that run, UCLA allowed USC to go on an 8-3 run that negated the effects of the Bruins’ comeback.
In the end, the Bruins simply got outplayed by the Trojans. It won’t be a surprise if UCLA enters next month’s rematch at USC as an underdog.