The final statement was as emphatic as it was telling.
When he hammered Brendan Lane’s last-second, half-hearted shot to the floor as time expired, USC’s Nikola Vucevic put the exclamation point on a pounding 63-52 victory for the Trojans.
In front of a raucous crowd, Vucevic and fellow Trojan forward Alex Stepheson took over the game in the second half to help USC win going away. What was a back-and-forth affair evolved into a big man clinic administrated by Vucevic ““ who scored 20 points ““ and Stepheson, who pulled down 16 rebounds to go along with his 13 points.
“We were pretty disappointed in ourselves,” freshman center Joshua Smith said.
The war between frontcourts rightfully received top billing leading up to the contest as UCLA (9-6, 1-2 Pac-10) and USC (10-6, 2-1) boast two of the conference’s best. Indeed, as the battle of the bigs went, so went the game.
UCLA secured a 30-28 halftime lead thanks in large part to the performance of sophomore forward Reeves Nelson, who poured in 12 points on five-of-seven shooting in the half. The Bruins scored 18 of their 24 non-free throw points inside the paint.
“We had them right where we wanted them,” Smith said. “But they just outplayed us.”
After the teams switched sides, the momentum swung like a roundhouse punch. Smith picked up his third foul just 64 seconds into the second half and headed to the bench. After a stellar first half, Nelson tired and scored just two more points.
USC went on a 12-4 run after the break and never looked back.
“We did not handle the adversity when things went against us in the second half,” coach Ben Howland said.
Meanwhile, Vucevic and Stepheson took over. They combined for 20 of USC’s 35 second-half points, and Stepheson pulled down a number of offensive rebounds.
“That’s probably one of the top frontcourts we’ll face all year,” sophomore forward Brendan Lane said.
One of UCLA’s lone bright spots in the second half was the play of junior guard Jerime Anderson. His season-high 11 points included a pair of threes that kept the Bruins within striking distance late.
Still, Anderson’s performance wasn’t enough to offset the poor play of UCLA’s starting backcourt. Juniors Malcolm Lee and Lazeric Jones combined to score just seven points on one-of-12 shooting.
In the final minute, with the outcome no longer in doubt, USC players began high-fiving each other and celebrating exuberantly, a display that UCLA took note of.
Smith called it a “slap in the face,” an action that was perhaps a fitting end to a contest that was physical and foul-filled ““ 34 were called.
The Trojans now have the four-game winning streak in the rivalry and the crucial early-season conference win. They also have the all-important bragging rights once again.
“Whenever you play your rival, it’s extra-special,” Howland said. “One way or another.”