USC’s Boogie Ellis electrifies crowd in victory over Utah

LOS ANGELES — Midway done the archetypal half, the USC pupil conception astatine the Galen Center began lifting their arms successful anticipation each clip defender Boogie Ellis went into his shooting motion.

And for the astir part, the Memphis transportation obliged, with 19 points connected 7-for-12 shooting successful a 93-73 triumph implicit Utah successful the Trojans’ Pac-12 opener connected Wednesday night.

The crippled rapidly got retired of manus astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional arsenic the Trojans closed connected a 23-7 tally earlier heading to the locker room. The Utes were short-handed upon accomplishment successful L.A. with 8 assistance players available, and it lone got worse erstwhile guardant Branden Carlson near with a limb injury.

But afloat steadfast oregon not, it mightiness not person mattered with the mode No. 20 USC, and Ellis specifically, changeable the shot connected Wednesday.

As the Trojans (7-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12) enactment immoderate region betwixt themselves and the visitors, Ellis was successful the mediate of it all. He howled astatine the pupil conception aft a bargain and one-handed dunk. That was soon followed by an Isaiah Mobley layup disconnected the solid to propulsion USC’s pb to 8 and unit a Utah timeout.

That did small to assistance the Utes (5-2, 0-1) regroup, and soon Ellis deed back-to-back 3-pointers and past stole a walk from Rollie Worster and took it the region for different tomahawk dunk to propulsion USC’s pb to 17 with 1:14 near successful the half.

Ellis finished the archetypal fractional with 16 points connected 6-for-9 shooting.

It wasn’t wholly Ellis’ show. Mobley had an casual clip scoring with station moves and hook shots to the tune of a team-high 21 points connected 8-for-14 shooting. Drew Peterson had a mates of bully rotation moves connected drives to the overgarment to escaped himself up for casual layups.

And the Trojans did what they bash best, namely support and rebound. USC held Utah to a 1-for-7 commencement from the level and the Utes went 11 for 37 successful the archetypal half. Meanwhile, USC won the rebounding conflict 51-32, Mobley starring the squad with a career-high 13 for his 2nd double-double successful arsenic galore games.

When the Trojans went without a tract extremity for 4:08 successful the 2nd fractional and the Utes got wrong 16, Coach Andy Enfield inserted Ellis backmost into the game. Ellis promptly dribbled astir a surface astatine the apical of the arc and calmly sank a heavy 3-pointer.

Still, USC was having occupation closing retired the Utes arsenic it missed 10 second-half escaped throws and allowed Utah defender Both Gach to people a career-high 28.

But Mobley enactment the crippled distant with 5 consecutive points and a blocked changeable to acceptable up an Ellis lob to Max Agbonkpolo, who scored 11 of his 16 points successful the 2nd fractional to assistance adjacent it out.

More to travel connected this story.