The lowdown: Arizona jumped out to a 5-0 advantage, setting the tone early. Though Julian Jacobs supplied a highlight for the Trojans by exploding to the hoop for a slam dunk in traffic, the Wildcats shot 4-of-5 from distance while also controlling the paint to always stay one step ahead in the opening ten minutes.
The Trojans inched their way closer and composed a 9-0 run, started by Jordan McLaughlin’s jumper, to take their first lead of the game with just under six minutes to play in the half.
This time when Jacobs flashed to the hoop and hammered home a slam dunk, USC maintained the momentum by building an eight point lead to end the half.