Isaac Hamilton scored 22 points, and No. 3 UCLA overcame an uneven performance by Lonzo Ball while holding off rival USC 76-74 on Thursday night in the Pac-12 quarterfinals.
Ball got into early foul trouble and the young point guard struggled as the Trojans cut into a 14-point deficit before missing a tying 3-pointer and then two more shots in the final minute while trailing by three.
Ball, the Pac-12 freshman of the year, finished with 12 points and seven assists. T.J. Leaf scored 14 points in his return after missing a game with a left ankle injury, and Thomas Welsh added 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. UCLA (29-3) earned its 10th straight win.
Meeting in the tournament for the second straight year, the Los Angeles rivals played a much closer game than the last encounter, a 102-70 UCLA rout on Feb. 18. After USC started 1 of 14 from the field, it slowly got back in it.
Jordan McLaughlin scored 18 points and Elijah Stewart added 17 for USC (24-9), but each missed shots in the lane in the closing seconds while trailing by three.
Bennie Boatwright scored 11 points, but was 3 of 11 from the field and missed a tying 3 attempt with 34 seconds left.
Next up for Ball and the Bruins is a matchup with No. 7 Arizona in the semifinals on Friday night.
*Associated Press release
