Bears Take Down USC
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Andrej Stojakovic tied a career high with 20 points, Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 19 and Joshua Ola-Joseph made several key plays down the stretch Sunday night to help California beat USC 71-66 at the Galen Center.
Cal (3-1) earned its first road win against USC since Jan. 8, 2017 in what was the former Pac-12 rivals’ first matchup as nonconference opponents since 1921. The Golden Bears have won two in a row against USC following 10 straight losses to the Trojans.
Desmond Claude hit a jumper before Saint Thomas made back-to-back baskets in the paint to give USC (3-1) a 64-63 lead with 6:30 to play but the Trojans made 1 of 10 from the field thereon as Cal scored eight of the final 10 points.
BJ Omot made a 3-pointer with 4:54 left and Ola-Joseph scored in the lane to give the Bears a four-point lead with 1:51 remaining. Ola-Joseph grabbed an offensive rebound before Stojakovic made two free throws with 21 seconds left and then blocked a shot by Claude.
Blacksher made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to cap the scoring just before the buzzer.
Ola-Joseph finished with six points, seven rebounds and a steal – all in the final 12 minutes.
Claude scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half and Thomas finished with 15 for USC. Wesley Yates III scored all his 10 points before halftime.
The first half featured nine ties and 10 lead changes before Blacksher hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that cut Cal's deficit to 43-42.
Blacksher made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and matched his previous season high with 18 first-half points on 7-of-8 shooting.
DJ Campbell hit a jumper and Stojakovic scored six consecutive Cal points before Campbell made a 3-pointer to cap an 11-2 run that gave the Bears a six-point lead with 15:37 to play.
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