When UCLA and USC first met on Jan. 15 at the Galen Center, it was not a fair fight, an elephant versus a butterfly.
The Bruins held the Trojans to 24-percent shooting in the first half while building an almost-double-digit halftime lead on their way to a 19-point win, the team’s third straight at the time.
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This time around, the butterfly fought back.
UCLA similarly steamrolled USC early on Thursday night at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but the Trojans made a game of it, eventually succumbing to the Bruins, 64-54, in front of 9,064.
“Every time we seemed like we had a commanding lead, they scratched and fought tooth and nail,” UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. “You have to give them credit to them as a team, with everything they’ve gone through, all the injuries, for continuing to fight.”
The Bruins simply outsprinted USC early in the matchup, exploiting Trojan turnovers in the opening minutes to build a sizeable advantage, similar to the two teams’ first matchup.
Thursday was not much different for the first 20 minutes: UCLA shot 52 percent, held USC to 24.1 percent shooting, and the Bruins went up by 15 at the half with three players – senior guard Lazeric Jones and sophomore forwards David and Travis Wear – scoring at least six points.
“It’s USC, so we really come out with that extra motivation,” David Wear said. “We were focused. We had a couple good days of practice and we knew what they were going to do. We were quick to the rotation and we really helped each other.”
Much of the second half went UCLA’s, as well, as the Bruins built a 23-point lead midway through the second half. USC chipped away down the stretch as UCLA committed egregious turnovers, but the Trojans could get no closer than nine.
With the Wears maintaining a big size advantage, the Bruins were able to fend them off.
The Double-Doublemint Twins combined for 30 points and 24 rebounds, with David Wear pacing both teams with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jerime Anderson added 14 points and five assists and five rebounds.
“I watched film against Cal where they both played subpar,” Howland said. “Looking at them Monday and Tuesday in practice, they were very motivated. They really felt hurt about not playing to our capabilities. They came out with a great sense of purpose.”
Added David Wear: “I was really disappointed after the Cal game. That was a tough loss. I only had one rebound that game, and that’s unacceptable. I really used that as motivation. I knew in order to turn it around I would have to play harder and come with a different mindset.”
Against an injury-depleted USC squad, Howland refused to call off the dogs, even as UCLA’s lead grew. With 10 minutes left in the game and the Bruins up 51-30, the team’s starters had played all but 22 minutes, and UCLA went with just a seven-man rotation.
“A little bit was fatigue, a little bit it was us not staying as intense as we should have,” Anderson said. “Kind of just going with the flow of the game and not forcing the issue.”
With the Sports Arena just minutes from the USC campus, Howland was nervous that the Sports Arena crowd would be split, but UCLA fans came out in force, even before the game.
“Our players were excited about the student body being here before the game,” Howland said. “I know they were enthused about that. It was important for us. We needed to do that.”