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UCLA men’s basketball trumps Trojans to snap 5-game losing streak

Junior guard Johnny Juzang drives against the Trojans. Juzang and No. 17 UCLA men’s basketball beat No. 16 USC by seven on Saturday night. (Kanishka Mehra/Daily Bruin senior staff)

men’s basketball


No. 16 USC68
No. 17 UCLA75

By Jared Tay

March 5, 2022 9:47 p.m.

This post was updated March 7 at 12:19 a.m.

This time, there would be no last-second buzzer beater to deny them a win.

Nor would they be on the receiving end of a double-digit blowout in their opponents’ favor.

For the first time in the Mick Cronin era, the Bruins had beaten the Trojans. 

In front of a sold-out Pauley Pavilion, No. 17 UCLA men’s basketball (23-6, 15-5 Pac-12) defeated No. 16 USC (25-6, 14-6) on Saturday night after the UCLA coach and his squad had lost the previous five contests, dating back to 2019, to their crosstown rivals. 

The sea of nearly 13,000 fans was treated to a contest in which the Bruins led for almost the entire night, save for the first four opening minutes in which the teams traded baskets. 

Once in the second half, the Trojans managed to tie the game, but four baskets in a row from junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. helped regain the lead for the Bruins. With less than 10 minutes to go, a 3-pointer from senior guard Jules Bernard that came off a Jaquez assist had the blue and gold up by eight. 

That lead grew to as much as 11 points, helped by a Trojan scoring drought that saw the Bruins go on a 23-12 run as the clock ran down. 

But with 1 1/2 minutes to go, USC was still alive as it brought the game back to a one-possession difference. 

“When they cut it to two, I was questioning all my life decisions,” Cronin said. 

Twice in Cronin’s career against USC, the Bruins had lost on a last-second game winner. In 2020, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Trojans the win with one second to go. 

A year later, this time on UCLA’s home court, a corner 3 from the inbound was like deja vu. 

This wasn’t to be the case Saturday.

A post-shot from redshirt senior forward Cody Riley – his first field goal after shooting 0-of-3 in the final frame up to that point – had the home squad up by four in response.

“We had to execute to score or we were in deep trouble,” Cronin said. “That was a big shot.” 

USC’s next possession was a turnover – one of 15 for the visitors. With 15 seconds left, a 3-pointer from guard Reese Dixon-Waters didn’t fall. 

The student section – balloons and glow sticks in hand – was bouncing up and down. With three seconds to go, UCLA was safe from a buzzer-beating shot.

“It’s not a secret we were 0-5 against ‘SC,” said senior guard Jules Bernard. “This definitely meant a lot to end the regular season on a good note against a team we haven’t had success against.” 

The final buzzer sounded and the students attempted to rush the floor. For most of them, it would be their first memory of the blue and gold triumph over their rival on the hardcourt. 

After scoring a career-high 30 points during the Bruins’ road trip to the Pacific Northwest, Jaquez was the leader on the stat sheet again. His 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting marked the second-consecutive game in which the junior cracked 20 points after he averaged less than nine in the previous six games. 

“I don’t think we closed it out very well,” Jaquez said. “It happens sometimes, and that’s why you got to clean it up. We learn from it and get prepared and move on.”

Junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. shoots a jumper. Jaquez led the Bruins in scoring with 27 points, nearly breaking his career high while adding six rebounds and four assists. (Kanishka Mehra/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By the height of the afternoon, the line for the student section – hours in the making – had snaked around Bruin Walk deeper into UCLA’s campus. 

As Jaquez walked off the court after the final buzzer had sounded, he pointed two fingers at those same students, his classmates donned in blue shirts that draped over nearly every seat in the arena. 

“I thought about (the losing streak) the whole week going into it,” Jaquez said. “We’re home, it’s our last home game, Senior Night – I wanted to do whatever I can to help win for the seniors.” 

The Bruins recorded one turnover in 40 minutes of play, the fewest for UCLA in any game on record. They scored 21 points from USC’s turnovers, good for +18 in that category. 

In the first half, the teams were perfect from the floor for nearly the first four minutes until a missed jumper from the Trojan forward Max Agbonkpolo sparked a scoring drought for USC that lasted more than a quarter of the opening frame. 

During that time, UCLA extended the lead on the back of a 6-0 run that was highlighted by a two-handed slam from sophomore guard Jaylen Clark in transition. 

Bernard sank the Bruins’ first 3-pointer of the half to push the lead to 10 – the blue and gold’s largest margin at that point. He hit four of his five field-goal attempts in the last 10 minutes for 11 first-half points. 

In what could be his last home game as a Bruin, Bernard backed up Jaquez with 19 points of his own, hitting two of UCLA’s three shots from deep. 

“It was amazing – the environment was amazing,” Bernard said. “It was a memorable night.” 

At one point in the second half, the Victory Bell even made an appearance on the hardwood, its ring barely audible above the crowd noise. 

Though it symbolized UCLA’s win over USC on the gridiron, the basketball Bruins were celebrating 15 minutes later. For everyone but the seniors, it was the first time they had beaten their crosstown foe. 

The streak was over. 

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Jared Tay | Sports senior staff
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
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