National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 81, Southern California 72
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 20, 2021
Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: # Mike Reed, # Frank Harvey, # Nate Harris
Attendance: N/A

James Akinjo scored 20 points while Azuolas Tubelis and Jordan Brown posted double-doubles as Arizona ended No. 17 Southern California's seven-game winning streak with an 81-72 victory Saturday in Los Angeles.

Tubelis, who reached double-double status with 4:38 to go in the first half, finished with 16 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Brown came off the bench to add 19 points and 13 rebounds for Arizona (15-8, 9-8 Pac-12).

Those two post players more than offset USC freshman star big man Evan Mobley, who scored a team-high 23 points. He scored 19 in the second half but it wasn't enough for USC (18-4, 12-3), which entered the day with a one-game lead in the Pac-12.

Tahj Eaddy contributed 17 points before fouling out late for the Trojans, who had no other players in double-figures in scoring.

Akinjo also had seven assists and made 7 of 8 attempts from the free-throw line.

USC opened the second half on an 8-2 run -- with all the Trojans' points coming from Mobley -- to tie the game at 41.

Arizona built back to a nine-point lead at 60-51 with 10:33 to go with the help of an unexpected source. Dalen Terry, who had gone five straight games without sinking a 3-point shot, hit two in an 80-second span, one from each corner.

When USC cut the lead to 60-55, Tubelis responded with a driving layup that stopped USC from gathering momentum and started a 7-0 run that gave Arizona comfortable separation for the stretch run.

USC never got closer than eight points after that.

Arizona coach Sean Miller, in his 12th season at Arizona, won his 300th game with the Wildcats. He has 108 losses.

Brown, who had scored in double figures just once in the previous nine games, earned his third double-double of the season, his first since Dec. 7. Tubelis earned his second double-double.

Tubelis, who scored 31 in a loss to USC in January, powered Arizona to a 37-31 lead at the break. Mobley didn't take a shot until the 5:08 mark of the half and had just four points and no rebounds at halftime.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Arizona   Southern California
James Akinjo 20 Scoring Evan Mobley 23
James Akinjo 7 Assists Ethan Anderson 7
Azuolas Tubelis 15 Rebounds Isaiah Mobley 7
James Akinjo 7 Free Throws Made Evan Mobley 8
Christian Koloko 2 Steals Evan Mobley 2
N/A Blocks Evan Mobley 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Arizona 81 42.2 8-17 19-23 20 39 0 3 9
Southern California 72 41.9 7-20 13-22 13 28 8 5 10