Donovan Dent (30 points), UCLA extend rival USC’s skid
Donovan Dent shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range on his way to a season-high 30 points, and UCLA sent visiting Southern California to its fourth consecutive loss with an 81-62 decision Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Dent set the tone for the Bruins (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten Conference) by pouring in 19 first-half points, 11 of which came during a 19-8 run heading into intermission.
Dent's stop-and-pop at the buzzer sent UCLA into halftime with a nine-point lead, and the Bruins held the Trojans (18-10, 7-10) at arm's length throughout the second half.
After the break, Tyler Bilodeau and Trent Perry each scored eight of their 13 points and Xavier Booker added seven of his 11 points.
That trio, along with Dent, combined to score all but 14 of UCLA's total points. They also teamed up to dish 13 of the team's 18 total assists, seven of which came from Dent.
Perry distributed another four assists to go with his four steals. Perry nearly forced as many Trojans turnovers from steals as UCLA committed total giveaways, with the Bruins turning it over just five times.
USC struggled to find much offense beyond Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 25 points despite limping off the floor for a stretch early in the second half. Baker-Mazara shot 8 of 16 from the floor, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range, and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, one off of Bilodeau's game high.
No other Trojan scored more than 10 points, however, which Alijah Arenas reached while shooting only 2 of 8 from the field. USC shooters other than Baker-Mazara combined to finish just 13 of 44 from the floor.
UCLA's defense locked down USC forward Ezra Ausar. Ausar came in averaging 15.7 points per game, but managed just six.
The Bruins moved to 16-1 at Pauley Pavilion this season.