Utah Utes at USC Trojans

Poeltl scores 14 points, No. 11 Utah crushes USC 67-39

His Utes apparently took the message to heart.

Jakob Poeltl had 14 points and nine rebounds, and No. 11 Utah crushed Southern California 67-39 on Sunday.

"Our guys really responded," Krystkowiak said. "We had a great practice yesterday with effort and today they brought it."

Delon Wright added 11 points and five rebounds and Jordan Loveridge scored 10 points for the Utes (17-4, 7-2 Pac-12).

Utah was up 32-12 at halftime and led by as many as 29 points in the second half.

Eleven different players scored for the Utes, who never trailed.

Malik Martin scored 11 points to lead the Trojans (9-12, 1-8 Pac-12). USC shot just 26.5 percent, including 1 of 12 from 3-point range, to lose its sixth straight.

It was the Trojans' largest margin of defeat this season.

Poeltl, a 7-foot freshman forward, led a dominant effort inside for Utah. The Utes outrebounded the Trojans 39-26, outscored them in the paint 38-18 and had 16 second-chance points

"Against UCLA we played a soft game," Poeltl said. "Today was much better, especially in the first half."

USC shot just 5 of 26, including 0 of 7 from 3-point range, and committed 10 turnovers in the first half to allow Utah to run away with it quickly.

Two 3-pointers by Loveridge helped put the Utes up 17-5 early, as USC missed 11 of its first 13 shots.

"The big lesson I think from (the UCLA loss) was we can't just show up," Krystkowiak said. "That biggest thing for us was we were ready right from the beginning."

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

The Trojans didn't reach 20 points until Malik Martin's free throw with 13:19 left in the game. That foul shot was part of an 11-0 USC run that brought some life back into the previously moribund Galen Center, but the Trojans never cut the deficit below 17 points.

TIP-INS

Utah: The Utes have won 11 games by at least 20 points this season, tied for most in the nation with Notre Dame. ... Utah beat USC 79-55 in the Pac-12 opener Jan. 2 in Salt Lake City.

USC: The Trojans set season lows in points, field goals made (13) and shooting percentage. ... Katin Reinhardt's streak of nine consecutive games with a made 3-pointer was snapped. ... The Trojans dropped to 3-24 in Pac-12 play over the last two seasons.

UP NEXT

Utah visits Colorado on Saturday.

USC visits Cal on Thursday.

How can I watch Utah vs. USC?

• TV Channel: Utah at USC 2021 College Basketball, week 12, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.