Boogie Ellis scored 27 of his career-high 31 points in the second half, including a 3-point dagger with 1:25 remaining, and Southern California handed visiting crosstown rival and No. 8-ranked UCLA its second consecutive loss in a 77–64 decision, Thursday night, Jan. 26, in Los Angeles.
The Trojans (15–6, 7–3 Pac-12 Conference) trailed by 12 points at halftime but opened the second half on a 15–4 run to pull within a point less than six minutes into the second half.
USC extended its run to 25-6 over the first 10:12 after intermission, taking a lead it never relinquished down the stretch.
Ellis was electric in the second half, going 7–for–10 from the floor hitting all 10 of his free throws to power USC’s comeback on the offensive end. His deep 3-pointer with less than a minute-and-a-half remaining snuffed any hope of a UCLA comeback, pushing the Trojans lead to nine points….