LOS ANGELES — Boogie Ellis scored a career-high 28 points as USC men’s basketball upset No. 19 Auburn, 74-71, at home on Sunday.
The senior guard shot 9-of-15 from the field and scored seven key points in the final three minutes of the game, including a floater with 59 seconds remaining that helped seal the upset for the Trojans (9-3, 2-0 Pac-12).
BOOGIE‼️@BoogieEllis is 6-of-7 from the field so far with a game-high 14 points!
📺: ESPN
📱: https://t.co/5ffzhbVqCc pic.twitter.com/ugTi5Hke3x
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 18, 2022
Kobe Johnson finished with 10 points, six steals, five rebounds and four assists. Joshua Morgan also scored 10 points and grabbed four boards.
The victory gives the Trojans a much-needed Quad 2 win on their NCAA Tournament resume. USC and Auburn rank in the top 10 for wins the last 4 seasons among Power 6 schools.
The Trojans forced Auburn (9-2) to turn the ball over a season-high 23 times. USC had 13 steals, their most so far this season.
USC got a hot start to the game, making four of its first five shots to open with a 11-5 lead. The Trojans held the edge for most of the first half until Auburn went on a 14-2 run to take a four-point lead at halftime.
Defense ➡️ offense as @Drewpeterson23 throws it down!
📺: ESPN
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— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 18, 2022
It didn’t take long for the Trojans to respond in the second half. USC went on a 9-0 run highlighted by Morgan’s breakaway dunk to vanquish the Tigers’ lead with 14:21 left in the game.
Ellis scored 14 and Morgan and Johnson each had eight in the second half to help USC close the game.
Johni Broome had 16 points and eight rebounds for SEC powerhouse Auburn, which held a No. 2 seed at last year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Trojans close non-conference play on Wednesday against Colorado State at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix. The Trojans resume Pac-12 play on Dec. 30 with a road trip at the Washington schools.
Checking in with @BoogieEllis after his career-high 28 points today!#FightOn | @smartfinal pic.twitter.com/9Cjo8mUVcD
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 19, 2022