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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Utah 80, Southern California 72
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 10, 2016
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Frank Harvey, # Deron White, # Randall McCall
Attendance: 12916

LAS VEGAS -- Utah guard Brandon Taylor hit a 24-foot shot in the game's final 90 seconds to help the Utes defeat USC 80-72 at the MGM Garden Arena in a Pac-12 Conference tournament quarterfinal game.

It was that kind of night for the Utes from the floor, as they finished shooting 60.8 percent. They were above or just below 60 percent for most of the second half and parts of the first half in pulling away from the Trojans.

The percentage was shy of its season-high 67 percent vs. Washington.

Utah forward Kyle Kuzma secured the win with a breakaway dunk with 40 seconds to help Utah (25-7) with the win. Kuzma finished with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds. Four Utes scored in double figures, including Pac-12 player of the year Jakob Poeltl, who had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Utah advances to face the winner of the California-Oregon State winner in the last quarterfinal game on Thursday night. Utah won both games against USC this season.

Utah used its double-digit lead most of the second half to keep USC from gaining any momentum to get close. But behind Jordan McLaughlin and Elijah Stewart the Trojans closed the gap on 69-63 with 4:19 left.

But Utah -- and its hot shooting -- slowly distanced itself behind Taylor and Jordan Loveridge, who had 13 points.

McLaughlin led USC with 24 points. Julian Jacobs finished with 16 points.

Bonam went 4-for-4 from the floor and scored 12 points as the Utes took a 41-33 lead at the break.

Teammate Kyle Kuzma was also perfect (5-for-5) and scored 10 points. Kuzma's layup 2:35 prior to intermission gave Utah the lead and he hit another with 41 seconds left for the final points of the half.

The Utes shot 65 percent and were 5 for 12 from 3-point range while enjoying a 17-11 rebounding advantage. USC shot 44 percent from the floor.

Julian Jacobs led the Trojans with 12 points, hitting 6 of 10 shots. He also had a team-leading four rebounds.

The lead changed 14 times before the Utes took over late.

Utah defeated USC last month 80-69 in Los Angeles.

NOTES: Utah has the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year in C Jakob Poeltl, who went into Thursday's game averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. ... USC has six players averaging 10 or more points. ... USC's Jordan McLaughlin (154) and Julian Jacobs (160) are one of two sets of guards in the country with at least 150 assists this season. The Trojans entered the game with a school-record 177 blocked shots -- 13th-most nationally. ... Utah's 24 victories are the most since 2004-05. ... The Utes entered Thursday with a seven-game winning streak and best end to a regular season since 1998-99.
Top Game Performances
 
Southern California   Utah
Jordan McLaughlin 24 Scoring Kyle Kuzma 23
Julian Jacobs 6 Assists Jordan Loveridge 6
Julian Jacobs 8 Rebounds Jakob Poeltl 8
Jordan McLaughlin 5 Free Throws Made Jakob Poeltl 4
Julian Jacobs 2 Steals Brandon Taylor 2
Chimezie Metu 2 Blocks Jakob Poeltl 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Southern California 72 42.9 7-19 5-8 9 27 3 9 5
Utah 80 60.8 10-22 8-12 22 32 3 3 13