Boogie Ellis Scores 28 as USC Hangs on to Defeat Arizona State

Boogie Ellis Scores 28 as USC Hangs on to Defeat Arizona State
Boogie Ellis (5) of the USC Trojans attempts to layup against Frankie Collins (10) of the Arizona State Sun Devils during a game between the USC Trojans and the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galen Center in Los Angeles on March 4, 2023. Michael Owens/Getty Images
Field Level Media
Updated:

Boogie Ellis scored 28 points and Southern California avoided a collapse to hold off visiting Arizona State, 68–65, Saturday, March 4, in Los Angeles.

USC (22–9, 14–6 Pac-12) built a 14-point lead with 6:23 remaining in regulation, capitalizing on Arizona State’s shooting struggles. The Trojans held the Sun Devils to 19-of-65 on field-goal attempts, including 6–of–28 from 3-point range.

However, Arizona State (20–11, 11–9) went on a 19–6 run to pull within a point on Frankie Collins’ layup with 15 seconds to go. After a pair of Tre White free throws, USC’s Drew Peterson fouled Collins on a shot attempt in the corner.

Collins was ruled to have a foot on the 3-point line, giving him two foul shots with the Sun Devils down by three points and eight seconds remaining. Collins split his attempts.

A Joshua Morgan free throw extended the USC lead back to three points, and D.J. Horne got a good look at the would-be, game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer but it rimmed off.

Horne shot 4–of–11 beyond the 3-point arc and finished with a team-high 20 points. Collins added 12 points, and both Warren Washington and Devan Cambridge recorded double-doubles in the loss—Washington with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Cambridge with 12 points and 10 boards.

White was the only USC scorer to join Ellis in double-figures, finishing with 13 points. Peterson scored nine points on a paltry 3–of–10 shooting from the floor. The Trojans went just 21–of–51 from the field overall, including 5–of–18 beyond the arc.

Ellis accounted for all but one of USC’s made 3-pointers, going 4–of–11 from deep.

Saturday’s win gave the Trojans another boost to their NCAA Tournament resume before next week’s Pac-12 tournament. USC is the No. 3 seed for the event in Las Vegas. Arizona State slid to No. 6, relegating the Sun Devils to Wednesday’s first round and a matchup with Oregon State.