The lowdown: After a sleepy first half that saw the Trojans take a 24-22 lead into the break, the season finale rivalry heated up in the second half. Freshman phenom Onyeka Okongwu came alive, and USC led by as many as five with five minutes to play. But four-straight free throw misses in the dying minutes —plus a costly Okongwu offensive foul— gave UCLA life and the lead late. It wasn’t until Jonah Mathews’ three-point dagger with a second to play, when USC could finally put the Bruins to rest, winning 54-52 at Galen Center.
The takeaway: Per usual, it wasn’t always pretty for the Trojans.