UCLA’s mid-season No. 12 struggles to show in another loss to USC

LOS ANGELES – At the end of the second half, USC guard Drew Peterson withdrew to investigate the field. He looked up, looked around and started to stop his teammates from moving out of the way.

He increased the size of his UCLA defender before pulling up 3 pointers deep, his fourth of the night, on his way to a career-high 27 as the 21st-placed Trojan knocked out the 12th UCLA number for the 10th time. 67-64 in a row at the Galen Center on ESPN in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday night.

It’s a record that the Trojans (April 21, 10-4) have taken control of the Bruins for the first time since the 1940s. But the woes facing UCLA are no longer ancient. Tired defenses, their ability to shoot continuously and their lack of toughness, it all adds up to their ugly heads.

Team Bruins (17-5, 9-4 Pac-12) have now lost three of their last four games and sit in fourth in the Pac-12 Conference.

“We dropped a few (games) already,” junior Johnny Juzang said. “After that, you want to make that change. You take it, you grow from it. I feel like we’re not turning that corner. In the past, I feel like we’ve had a great recovery, but for whatever reason we’re not getting there right now and that’s frustrating. ”

Juzang added: “As one of the leaders, it’s difficult when you can’t contribute as much as you want in attack. We have to find it. “

Juzang has only 12 points in 4/16 shots. The only Bruin to have double digits is Tyger Campbell, who scored a career-high 27 on his own. UCLA is up 30% as a team.

Jules Bernard is just 1 of 9 from the field for two points. Jaime Jaquez Jr only scored five points, he’s 2 for 11.

“He didn’t look like himself tonight,” Cronin said of the junior striker, who is dealing with an ankle injury. “Anyone who knows us, or follows us, knows. He really struggled to move tonight.”

Cronin credits Peterson’s performance, but doesn’t think that’s why the Bruins lost. Cronin pointed to the painted area, where UCLA had succumbed despite the absence of the Trojan’s top scorer, 6-foot-10 Isaiah Mobley, who did not play due to a broken nose.

“The paint point is minus 10, that’s why we lost. They are the tougher team,” Cronin said.

Here’s another hard pill to swallow, USC’s second top scorer, Boogie Ellis, failed to score in the game, going 0-7.

Amidst the chaos, somehow the Bruins were within impressive distance with less than 20 seconds to play. Campbell stole the ball with 13 seconds left in the 65-62 position, but it flipped over.

“Disappointing,” Cronin said of Campbell’s sales. “But he’s the only reason we’re in the game.”

A late Trojan rotation left Campbell with the ball in hand for just two seconds before he unleashed a potential three-pointer, but it went wide of the post.

“It looked good, but it didn’t go anywhere, so it didn’t matter,” Campbell said.

Juzang, Campbell and Cronin were clearly deflated during their post-match press conference on Saturday night as the cheers lingering from the field could still be heard. An obvious sting was seen. USC students stormed the courthouse after the victory. This is the second time the Bruins have seen it in a week. Arizona State students stormed the courthouse after winning three times overtime.

“I don’t know why someone barged into the courthouse for hitting us,” Cronin said sarcastically.

https://www.ocregister.com/2022/02/12/no-12-uclas-midseason-struggles-on-display-in-another-loss-to-usc/ UCLA’s mid-season No. 12 struggles to show in another loss to USC