2/27/2013

No. 11 Arizona Falls to USC, 89-78

Solomon Hill led the Wildcats with 21 points and Kevin Parrom had 16.

Kevin Parrom posted 16 points and four rebounds Wednesday against USC.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Eric Wise scored 22 points to lead five USC players in double figures, propelling the Trojans to an 89-78 victory over No. 11 Arizona on Wednesday night.

USC (13-15, 8-7 Pac-12) shot 61 percent (33 for 54) from the field, led by Wise's 9 for 12. Byron Wesley added 18 points, J.T. Terrell had 14 and Jio Fontan scored 12 with nine assists. Aaron Fuller also had 12 points.

Solomon Hill led Arizona (23-5, 11-5) with 21 points and Kevin Parrom had 16. It was the Wildcats' first loss to USC in five meetings.

USC led throughout the game, going up by as many as 10 points in the first half and increasing its lead to 13 in the second half. Arizona held an 18-16 lead midway through the first half, but the Trojans went on a 5-0 run to take the lead and never trailed again.

USC started the second half quickly, building on its 42-36 halftime lead. A 9-2 run to open the second half was culminated with a block by Dewayne Dedmon that led to a fast-break layup by Fontan, giving the Trojans their biggest lead of the night at 51-38.

The Wildcats responded and pulled to 51-44 on a basket by Parrom, but USC did everything it could to maintain some breathing room. The large contingent of Arizona fans in USC's home gym were riled up after a 3-pointer from the right baseline by Jordin Mayes narrowed USC's lead to 60-56 with 12:23 left.

USC, though, continued to hit big shots. Terrell's 3-pointer put the Trojans up 69-58. After a bucket by Arizona, Fontan was good on a turnaround jumper in the lane with 8:11 remaining, and USC led 71-60.

Arizona pulled to 77-71 with 3:15 remaining, but USC held on for one of its biggest wins of the season.

USC got off to a fast start behind Wise, who scored seven points in the opening 3 minutes to help the Trojans take a 9-5 lead. But the Wildcats, the best 3-point shooting team in the Pac-12 at 36.2 percent, got a couple of 3s from Parrom and then one from Hill to take their first lead at 11-10 with 16:04 left in the first half.

The Trojans, though, wouldn't go quietly. When Wesley was good on a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:59 remaining, USC had its biggest lead of the half at 40-30. It was one of four 3-pointers in the first half by the Trojans, who shot 58 percent (18 for 31) in the opening 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Arizona went cold after its fast start, shooting just 40 percent (12 for 30) in the half.

USC was led at the break by Wise, who had 11 points, and Wesley, who had 10. Omar Oraby, USC's 7-foot-2 backup center, was a presence in the paint with seven first-half rebounds and three blocked shots.

Hill's 12 points led the Wildcats, who scored the final four points of the first half to cut USC's lead to 42-36.