No. 8 UCLA holds off USC in Pac 12 quarters, 73-66

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Michaela Onyenwere had a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 8 UCLA past USC, 73-66 in the Pac-12 quarterfinals on Friday night.

With the Bruins trailing by six after three quarters, Onyenwere scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, putting UCLA (26-4) ahead 53-52.

USC reclaimed the lead at 54-53 and later tied the game at 56-all, but the Bruins closed the game on a 17-10 run, as late fouls plagued the Trojans (17-14).

Onyenwere scored 18 of UCLA’s last 29 points.

The second-seeded Bruins advance to Saturday night’s semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of Stanford and Oregon State.

Natalie Chou was a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor and added 14 points for the Bruins. Lindsey Corsaro chipped in with 11.

Endyia Rogers led USC with 18 points. Senior Kayla Overbeck had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Pac 12 Freshman of the Year Alissa Pili and Aliyah Jeune each scored 11.

The Bruins, who outscored their opponents by 11.4 points per game during the regular season, found themselves in a scrap with their crosstown rivals.

With Pili on the bench with four fouls, the Trojans were able to close the third quarter on a 12-0 run, sparked by Overbeck, who scored six points during the spree.

USC opened the game on an 11-0 run and built a 20-5 lead on the strength of a balanced offense that saw four scorers contribute from the floor early. UCLA took some time to find its rhythm and finished the first quarter shooting just 22.7% (5 of 22) from the field.

UCLA climbed back into the contest with an 18-6 run, sparked by Chou, who came off the bench to score a quick 10 points in nine minutes.

The Bruins shot 62.5% (10 of 16) in the second quarter, while limiting the Trojans to 35.7% shooting (5 of 14).

BIG PICTURE

USC: The Trojans struggled to get any offensive production off the bench. Outside of Jeune, coach Mark Trakh turned to Alyson Miura, who was a mere 1 for 3 from the field after coming up with back-to-back clutch 3-pointers in Thursday’s opening round win over Colorado. Jeune and Miura were the only reserves Trakh used.

UCLA: Chou, a transfer from Baylor playing in her first season with the Bruins after sitting out last season, was pivotal as she converted a three-point play during the second-quarter run, and later followed with a pair of 3-pointers to bring the Bruins within one.

UP NEXT

USC: Awaits a postseason bid.

UCLA: Will face the winner of Stanford-Oregon State in one Pac 12 semifinal.

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