USC losses in Double Overtime to Colorado

February 17, 2024

JG6A4194 — Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs / fi360 News

Los Angeles, CA- The University of Southern California Trojans (10-16, 4-11 Pac 12) lost in a double overtime thriller to the visiting Colorado Buffs (17-9, 8-7 Pac 12) 92-89 at the Galen Center.

Despite a strong performance from USC’s guards senior Boogie Ellis and freshman Isaiah Collier, the Trojans surrendered a 16-point lead in the final 10 minutes of the contest due to their inability to get defensive stops and grab defensive rebounds.

KJ Simpson scored 30 points on 9 of 17 shooting and made 6 of 9 attempts from behind the arc to lead Colorado.

“Tough loss for our team, guys played hard, just couldn’t get enough defensive stops or rebound the ball in the last 10 minutes of the game, Head Coach Andy Enfield said. “So disappointing guys play very hard. Just one possession here and there was the difference.”

USC was outrebounded 47-22 by the Buffs. This continues a concerning trend for the Trojans as they have been outrebounded by a total of 73 rebounds in the last four games. Their big men were recently called out publicly by Andy Enfield after their home loss to Oregon.

After being hampered by a hamstring that caused him to miss several weeks earlier in the season, Boogie Ellis appeared to return to form with a 30-point performance to lead USC in scoring.

USC hit 51% from the field by making 16 out of 31 attempts and they shot 53% from beyond the arc, connecting on 7 out of 13 attempts in the first half.

Colorado shot 50% from the floor making 13-26 attempts and outrebounded the Trojans

19-8 in the first half but trailed 33-39 as both teams went into their respective locker rooms.

In the second half USC cooled down a bit shooting 44% from the field and 33% from the three-point line.

Isaiah Collier scored 25 points for the Trojans and dished out a career-high 9 assists but missed a critical free throw that would have put USC ahead by three instead of two at the end of regulation.

With the window left open for the Buffs, KJ Simpson drove down the lane and dished it to Luke O’Brien for the dunk that knotted things at 73-73.

Colorado shot 51% from the floor and 41% from behind the arc in the second half.

At the end of the first overtime, Isaiah Collier tied the game at 83-83 on a driving layup and forced the second overtime.

In the closing seconds, USC had the ball and an opportunity to send the game into third overtime but the Colorado played good perimeter defense that forced a tough three-point attempt that game up short for Boogie Ellis and the Trojans.

Junior captain Kobe Johnson spoke on the state of the locker room after this close loss “Nobody likes losing. “Nobody wants to lose but I still believe in this team. “The record may say something else but I know you know we got the talent and we got the guys on this team to make a run. We just got to be able to clean up the little details. That’s really all it is. We’re right there” Johnson said.

Up next for USC is their last Pac-12 battle with their crosstown rival UCLA next Saturday at Paulley Pavilion. Both teams prepare to head to the Big Ten next season.

Cantlay feeling good at home after 36

Jevone Moore

February 16, 2024

9X2A2188 — Patrick Cantlay (Photo by Full Image 360)

Pacific Palisades, CA- The Tiger makes a grand exit, needing medical attention along with an IV. He was able to leave walking in his own strength after withdrawing today on the 6^th hole getting a ride back to the clubhouse.

Now day 1 leader Patrick Cantlay who was playing in the group one ahead was not affected when he saw Woods pass by leaving the course. Cantlay went on to score four birdies after his departure.

Patrick Cantlay (Photo by Full Image 360)

“Yeah, we’re half done. Stay in the moment and trust the process that I have. I have a good game plan for this golf course and I’ll just stick to it,” said Cantlay.

The UCLA Bruin Cantlay started the day off right with an eagle on hole 1 par 5, that eventually allowed for 36-hole, 5 shot lead (-13 under-par).

Yeah, it feels like a home game. Like I said, it’s a golf course I played so many times, I feel comfortable,” said Cantlay.

Luke List and Jason Day kept pace but couldn’t make up much ground during today’s Friday round staying tied for second play. These three will be matched up Saturday in the last group being fully aware what each other do shot for shot.

Jason Day finishes his round (Photo by Full Image 360)

“I’m happy with how I played and stayed in it,” said List.

Jordan Speith was disqualified for signing an incorrect score card with a 3 for a 4 on the fourth hole.

Will Zalatoris made an incredible hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole at The Riviera. This shot earned himself and caddie a Genesis GV80 and Genesis Electrified GV70.

“I just pulled it about 10 feet and it landed perfectly on the fringe and killed it. Lucky to go in. It was a nice little bonus,” said Zalatoris.

Last year champion Max Homa is tied for 11^th place and will be around for the weekend on 9 shots back at (-4 under-par).

On the 18^th green Chase Johnson shared a big bearhug and smile with his caddie after finishing even par tied 42^nd and hanging around for the weekend and earning some money this week.

“It’s a golf course I’m really comfortable on and it’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen it,” said Cantlay “Yeah, it’s been great to play this week.”

The field will still be full and the grounds should be full with cheers to see some great moving day golf at the RIV.

The Genesis is off to great Start

Jevone Moore

February 16, 2024

Pacific Palisades, CA- On a gorgeous day in February on the West Coast veteran tour card holder Patrick Cantlay scored an opening round 64 (-7). He holds first place by himself with a one-shot lead at The Riviera Country Club for Genesis Invitational.

“I thought it was good. Obviously got off to a great start. Our group had good momentum, Jordan and I were a bunch under on the front nine,” said Cantlay.

Cantlay off the tee. (Photo by Full Image 360)

Tournament host Tiger Woods in the field wearing his new swag Sun Day Red keep his sweater on the whole road where tied for 49 +1 over par for the day. This is his first start on the new golf season.

“I struggled with the speed of the greens. I couldn’t believe how fast they were today even though I made a couple. I ran a bunch by the hole today, it was very stressful. But the golf course is in such perfect shape,” said Tiger.

Tiger watching his ball off the tee on a Par 3 (Photo by Full Image 360)

Cantlay on Friday will have the opportunity to increase his lead tee off just one group ahead of Tiger so the roars of the crowd can be very close.

There is three-way tie for second place with Cam Davis, Luke List, and Jason day who all finished with 65 (-6). Day no stranger to being on top of the leader board so look for him to be calm on day two and challenge Cantlay.

“It’s nice to be able to see kind of the light at the end of the tunnel and going through that process and that journey but getting on the other side of it now is even better,” said Day

It’s always fun to have excitement just before the weekend, this smaller field will start to shape up and see who will be ready to compete for the prize money and the new G-Series ride.

Johnson watches his drive off the tee. (Photo by Full Image 360)

This year’s Charlie Sifford exemption Chase Johnson felt right at home on the course with an opening round 72 (+1) four birdies but the five bogies held him back.

The weather on Friday looks clear so look for some nice scores coming from day 2 at the RIV.

Tiger in the fairway approach to the green. (Photo by Full Image 360)

Josh Morgan’s block erases a game-tying opportunity for the visiting Utah Utes

DeAngelo Scruggs

February 15, 2024

JG6A8922 — Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs / fi360 News

Los Angeles, CA- Thanks to the late-game heroics from redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan and his block on a potential game-tying layup, the USC Trojans (10-15, 4-10 PAC 12) escaped with a 68-64 victory over the Utah Utes.

Freshman guard Isaiah Collier returned to the Galen Center after recovering from a hand injury sustained in the game against Washington State on January 10. In tonight’s game, Collier led USC with 15 points and contributed 6 assists. Since his return, he is averaging 17.7 points throughout three games.

“He missed a couple of easy shots, but he had six assists and he’s important to our offense because he can put pressure on the defense and he’ll get in the lane and make plays for his teammates”, Head Coach Andy Enfield said when describing his point guards play. “He is a very unselfish player, so we were happy to have him back. Like I said, we need to keep working as a team because we think we can string some games together here.”

The Trojans were in charge most of the first half and dictated the pace with their air-tight defense. USC shot 42% on 14-33 attempts from the floor and led by as many as 13 points in the first half of play.

Utah shot 34% from the field on 11-32 attempts. The Utes struggled to connect from behind the arc and shot 8% from deep after making only 1-12 attempts. Utah trailed 29-34 at halftime.

In the second half, Utah led by guard Devion Smith, who scored 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and collected seven assists helped the Utes take the lead. Utah shot 39% from the field and continued to struggle from deep finishing the game shooting 19% from the three-point line and making 4-21 attempts.

USC shot 38% from the floor in the second half and also struggled to connect from long distance only making 5-20 attempts for 20%. The Trojans missed shot attempts and a couple of untimely turnovers allowed the Utes to remain within striking distance.

Senior guard Boogie Ellis had the opportunity to put the game away for the Trojans but missed the front end of a 1-1 and Utah got the ball into Smith’s hands and had the opportunity to take the lead or tie the game in closing seconds. As he attacked the rim, Senior rim protector Joshua Morgan trailed Smith and blocked his potential game-tying layup.

USC bounced back from a disappointing Bay Area road trip, where they lost in overtime to Cal and got embarrassed by Stanford.

“It was more about pride really, to be honest”, Isaiah Collier said. “It was an embarrassing loss for us at Stanford. They hit, what, 19 threes. We didn’t show fight in that game. But we also learned a lot from that game. So we took into practice as far as aggression and stuff like that and we built from it.”

The Trojans now prepare to welcome Colorado to the Galen Center on Saturday in a primetime match on ESPN2.

Chiefs Comeback To Win Thrilling Super Bowl LVIII

Christopher Floch

February 11, 2024

LAS VEGAS,NV- We are in the midst of “Chiefs Kingdom,” after yet another thrilling double digit over the snake bitten San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII in OT, 25-22.

Patrick Mahomes rallied his team in the 4th quarter to secure their third Lombardi trophy in five years, as well as his third SB MVP at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The game was similar to a Heavyweight boxing match, with both teams pacing themselves early. The first quarter ended with no points-hardly the fireworks and hype every fan was expecting.

Patience is a virture; the game was epic surpassing and exceeding every hope and desire, the second half felt surreal with the scoring and superb plays.

49ers receiver Jennings threw a TD pass to Christian McCaffrey and caught one. Quickly jumping out to a 10-0 advantage. It was a sloppy uneven affair with several turnovers, yet it will go down as one of the top 5 super Bowl’s ever.

Memorable sub plots include Taylor Swift,who chugged a beer alongside new bestie Brittany Mahomes as their faces were plastered on the jumbotron. It was a hilarious retort from the boos and hissing she received.

San Francisco is probably the more conplete team, just one problem. Patrick Mahomes plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The action picked up after a crucial blunder by San Francisco’s Ray-Ray Mcloud, who made contact with the pigskin for God knows why, which the Chiefs pounced on. This unforced error set up Mahomes’ 16-yard TD pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 13-10 lead.

Mahomes made sure of it, leading another super comeback on the NFL’s biggest stage in America’s showcase capital.

The Chiefs trailed 22-19 after Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Mahomes rallied the Chiefs, completing another impressive comeback in a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago.

It was startling how many parallels this rematch had with Super Bowl LIV. San Francisco once again blew a double digit lead, 49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy overthrew open receives and finally, they were unable to deliver the knockout blow.

This is what happens when you allow Mahomes and one of the most potent offenses in NFL History.

Sadly, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has another Super Bowl loss in which his team squandered the lead late.

Mahomes ran 8 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the Chiefs’ chances alive and then scrambled 19 yards to set up the winning score, which came 14:57 into the extra period — just before what would have been the second OT.

It was such a daring play with the clock winding down, if Hardman trips or is tackled, the Forty Niners would have been running on the field victorious.

“With all the adversity we’ve been through this season to come through tonight. … I’m proud of the guys,” said Mahomes, who earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. “This is awesome. Legendary.”

After he connected with a wide-open Hardman, the Chiefs ran on the field as red-and-yellow confetti fell onto the turf.

The Chiefs managed to become the first team in nearly two decades to repeat since the 2003-04 New England Patriots.

People have big dreams going to Vegas, nothing is bigger than winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Six was enough Kelly chipped out

Jevone Moore

February 9, 2024

PAC-12 Conference Football Media Day 2018 — UCLA head coach Chip Kelly

Los Angeles, CA – At what point did UCLA Bruins former head coach Chip Kelly loose his heart and passion for UCLA Football. It was six years ago when Kelly came in talking about “Relationships, Friendships, & Championships.”

Not a surprise that he lost his heart for the Bruins since he was only able to make few a relationships but not even close to bringing home a single championship. I remember the buzz and excitement in the air when former athletics director Dan Guerrero with the help of booster and cheerleader’s introduce Kelly as the head coach.

Now after not being hired by an NFL team to be an offensive coordinator he still wanted out of UCLA and accepted a coordinator job with Ohio State. He is joining Ryan Day who he coached back in college at New Hampshire. Bill O’Brien landed the Boston College head coaching job leaving this Ohio State job open.

So Chip picks a great time to leave the program high and dry for a demotion and move to compete in the same conference UCLA will be in next year the BIGTEN. He didn’t make a splash this last signing day only managing to bring in few kids from the transfer portal.

I guess former running back coach could tell Kelly’s heart wasn’t in it, when he choose to take a running back coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders to make sure his future had some life supporting his young family.

Running Back TJ Harden leaps over a Buffalo. (Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News)

“We are confident we will find a leader who develops young men on and off the field and embodies our True Bruin Values,” said Jarmond.

Now Martin Jarmond the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics will have the task of starting a nation wide search for the right coach who wants to bleed Blue and Gold and take on this upcoming BIGTEN schedule and lead these young men into battle.

“We understand the importance of the timing of this search and will heed the advice of Coach Wooden, to be quick but not to hurry,” said Jarmond.

For the fans who wanted Kelly gone after having the worst 3 season record in Bruins history, now have something to cheer about but timing not the best. Jarmond quietly seemed to be looking for a way to part ways with him.

Chip Kelly Saturday November 30 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore)

As it turns out Kelly needs to pay 1.5 Million buyout to leave, verse UCLA paying Kelly 7.6 Million to walk away. So just based on numbers this was a good Win for the Bruins. I guess Kelly can help UCLA WIN!

Bruins let see what’s next for these gutty Bruins going into the Spring

AP Player of the Week JuJu Walkins finishes with 31 points, 7 rebounds & 5 assists as the Trojans defeat the Sun Devils

DeAngelo Scruggs

February 9, 2024

JG6A5896 — JuJu drives the lane. (Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs / fi360 News)

Los Angeles, CA – Freshman sensation JuJu Watkins returns home and scores 30 for the eighth time this season as she leads Southern California (17-4,7-4 Pac-12) to an 81-64 victory over Arizona State (10-13,2-9 Pac-12).

The reigning AP Player of the Week JuJu Walkins finished with 31 points, 7 rebounds & 5 assists. Watkins continues her phenomenal play after she dropped a historic 51 points in an upset victory over then No. 4 Stanford and followed up with 29 against Cal University to wrap up a successful trip to the Bay area.

“It’s remarkable what we put on Ju’s plate, and she continues to do what she’s been able to do,” Head Coach Lindsay Gotlieb said after Watkin’s performance.

The Trojans jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Sun Devils 22-9 in the first period. USC maintained their offensive momentum, shooting 42% from the field in the first half. However, their three-point shooting cooled down slightly to 23% after an impressive 75% shooting performance from beyond the arc in the first quarter.

Sophomore guard Jalyn Brown shined for the Sun Devils scoring 24 points on 8 of 20 shooting from the field. Trayanna Crisp added 17 points.

ASU shot 42% in the first half and trailed USC 38-28 as they went into halftime.

USC took advantage of their size and controlled the paint. The Trojans scored 46 points in the paint and outrebounded the Sun Devils 42-28.

Junior forward Rayah Marshall, who was recently added to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watchlist was a huge part of USC’s success in the paint. Marshall recorded a double-double with 13 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“The flow of the game was just clicking for me,” Marshall said. “I just took advantage of that and just tried to remember to compete on both sides of the floor”.

Watkins scored 25 of her 31 points in the second half for the Trojans and was the driving force as USC pulled away from the Sun Devils. USC shot 50% from the floor in the second half, making 15 of 30 attempts.

ASU shot 44% from the field in the second half and made 2 of 5 three-point attempts for 40%.

The Women of Troy now prepares to host Arizona (12-11,4-7 Pac 12) in a primetime matchup on ESPN2 Monday night.

Ladies And Gentlemen, Are you ready To Super Bowl Rumble?

Christopher Floch

February 5, 2024

B19W2072 — Opening Night SBLVIII (Photo by Jevone Moore)

LAS VEGAS, NV– Football’s biggest week kicked off on Monday, February 5 LIVE from Las Vegas with a sneak peek of the home of Super Bowl LVIIl, the magnificent Allegiant Stadium, Opening Night presented by Gatorade was a giant Pep Rally where over 23,000 strong got an opportunity to cheer members of both teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and the overwhelming crowd favorite, San Francisco 49ers were there to rile up the crowd with jokes and trash talk.

This being Las Vegas, the “Death Star” had the ambiance of the Vegas Strip- the vibrant nightlife featuring neon lights and dreams of glory Patrick Mahomes to Brock Purdy, answered dozens of questions throughout the evening, but only after first making a parade like entrance,

Travis Kelce was met with resounding “boos” from the 49ers fans dominating Opening Night. The reaction only made Kelce more fired up, saying he likes the boos more than he likes the cheers, egging on the Niners fans to keep them coming. “I fèel like playing right now,” Kelce flexed, playing the perfect WWE foil.

Since this is the Chiefs 4th Super Bowl appearance in five years, and the San Fran faithful showed up in droves since the Bay Are to Vegas is relatively close. It seemed like it was 75 percent Niners fans.

Clearly, the Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce are comfortable being the villan, or the “Anti-Hero” at the very least.

What would an Opening Night in Sin City be without a little splash of colorful characters? Allegiant Stadium wasn’t just home to the NFL stars on Monday. It also featured special appearances by the Blue Man Group, Michael Buffer and Carrot Top, with Buffer welcoming the players onto the field with his booming voice and Carrot Top even asking Kelce to trade Super Bowl tickets for his concert tickets. A parade of both cheerleaders and costumed creatures was also on hand to kick off the night.

Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night was great. It the The largest crowd for a SB opening night ever. Next time these teams meet will be in 6 days. Super Bowl LVIII will be held at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, February 11. The game will be televised on CBS, kickoff is slated for 3:30 pm.

USC Snaps six-game Losing streak with an 82-54 victory over Oregon State

DeAngelo Scruggs

February 3, 2024

JG6A1879 — James drives around a defender. (Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs / fi360 News)

Los Angeles, CA- The University of Southern California Trojans (9-13,3-8 Pac 12) ended their six-game losing streak after defeating Oregon State (11-11,3-8 Pac 12) 82-54 at the Galen Center.

DJ Rodman’s career-high 14 rebounds and 12 points double-double helped the Trojans dominate the boards with a 44-24 advantage. Rebounding had been a sore spot for USC during their losing streak. Still, they responded strongly after getting called out publicly by their Head Coach Andy Enfield after their last loss against Oregon University on Thursday.

“It’s frustrating when you get outrebounded every game and we have been lately, and tonight I thought we showed a lot of toughness defensively, Enfield said. “First of all to make them miss and then secondly to try to rebound the ball. I thought we were flying around on defense, meaning we were rotating, we had energy and we also showed some toughness. So I was proud of our guys.”

USC came out playing an inspired brand of basketball. The Trojans were moving the ball around on offense, playing scrappy defense, and jumped out to an early 18-8 lead. Getting contributions from everyone, USC shot 50% from the field in the first half on 14-28 shooting and led 38-23 at halftime.

“We just knew. USC doesn’t lose six games in a row “ Harrison Hornery said when speaking on the Trojan’s confidence heading into the game. “We don’t lose two in a row. We had to break the streak. The fans are disappointed, the school’s disappointed in us, so we had to come out and prove ourselves.”

The Beavers struggled offensively shooting 39% from the field and making 9 of 23 attempts.

Multiplayers scored in double figures for USC. Hornery led the charge off of the bench and led the Trojans in scoring with 14 points. Kijani Wright and Oziyah Sellers both added 12. USC bench outscored OSU bench 47-16.

Reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Jordan Pope scored 14 points for the Beavers and led them in scoring.

During the second half, OSU continued to struggle with their shooting, posting a 31% field goal percentage on 9 of 29 shooting. The Beavers concluded the game with an underwhelming overall shooting performance, making only 34% of their attempts by converting 18 of 52 shots.

USC dominated the paint finishing with a 40-16 advantage over OSU in points inside the paint. The Trojans went 16-33 from the field with a shooting percentage of 48% in the second half. USC finished the game shooting 49% from the floor on 30-61 shooting.

Southern California will now prepare for two games in the Bay Area as they wish to salvage their season with 9 games remaining until the Pac-12 Tournament.

UCLA hoops drops Oregon at Pauley

Jevone Moore

February 3, 2024

Oregon_vs_ucla 2-3-24-070463 — Photo by Jordon Kelly / fi360 News)

Westwood, CA- UCLA Bruins (11-11, 6-5 Pac-12) won its third game in a row and fifth in a row against the Oregon Ducks (15-7, 7-4 Pac-12), 71-63, on Saturday night in Pac-12 play at Pauley Pavilion. A great way to finish off the Oregon schools on this home stand.

Dylan Andrews had 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds to lead the Bruins during his 38 minutes of game play.

The freshman guard from Chicago showed up strong dropping in 16 points and 3 steals playing both sides of the court.

The Bruins led by as many as three points in the second half, but Oregon clawed their way back into the game.

“They made a big run at us,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin, “You get more possessions than your opponent. You don’t need to be an econ major at UCLA to figure out you got a better chance to win. But that takes effort to take care of the ball, turn them over and outrebound them. So I just think we’re learning what winning effort it is.”

Oregon had three players score double digits led by senior guard N’Faly Dante who scored 16 points, 8 rebounds, with 4 assists. Jadrian Tracey had the hot hand with 3-7 from three-point land.

Andrews kept making shots for the Bruins, he hit a 3 to give UCLA a six-point lead with less than 3 minutes on the clock.

“Well, you just got to have the last run. Again, you got to be in these type of games. You can look back and say hindsight 20-20. Trust me – because I do, it’s really hard for me to sleep, said Cronin “I have to remind myself that you probably had to go through the stuff we went through to get to where we are now as much you wish you could rewind.”