California Golden Bears at USC Trojans

Sixth-ranked Cal stops late rally to stymie USC

Layshia Clarendon scored 22 points and Brittany Boyd added 16 to lead the Golden Bears to a 72-64 victory over the Trojans on Sunday.

The Golden Bears also beat USC at home in overtime.

California (23-2, 13-1 Pac-12) remains tied for first-place in conference with Stanford, which defeated UCLA on Sunday. The Golden Bears, which defeated UCLA on Friday, has four Pac-12 games remaining.

"I'm proud of our players," said Golden Bears coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "It wasn't easy but to come away with a sweep in LA is a big deal. We played through the pressure and the difficult calls down the stretch. This group is so focused and versatile, especially on the road."

California, which leads the nation in scoring averaging 71.9 points, improved to 10-1 on the road this season. The Golden Bears are 16-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.

USC (8-17, 5-9) lost its sixth straight, equaling its longest losing streak of the season.

Clarendon made 9 of 17 shots, had four rebounds and three assists and played all 40 minutes. Her basket and free throw completed a three-point play that gave the Golden Bears a 66-59 lead with 1:32 to play.

"We moved the ball around and didn't let them dictate the game," said Clarendon. "For the most part I think we stuck to what we wanted to do. We're going home to play Oregon and we have to focus on one game at a time."

Brandon and Boyd made four free throws in the final 40 seconds to help seal the win.

"We're playing with a confidence right now," Gottlieb said. "We're consistent with being the aggressor, attacking the paint and we're tough and competitive."

California's win gives them its first sweep of the Trojans since 2007-08 season. The Golden Bears have not lost a game since dropping a 62-53 decision to Stanford on January 8th.

Afure Jemerigbe scored 11 points and Brandon pulled down 10 rebounds for the Golden Bears, which outrebounded he Trojans 46-35 in the game.

Cassie Harberts led USC with 20 points and Ariya Crook added 15.

The Golden Bears had a scary moment midway through the first half. Boyd went down hard on a drive to the basket with 10:39 left in the opening half. She left the game but returned shortly to nail a 3-pointer and increase California's lead to 29-20 with 7:48 left.

California shot 41.1 percent (23-56) and held the Trojans under 35 percent shooting in the game. Jemerigbe scored 10 points in the first half as California led 38-29 at the break.

How can I watch Golden Bears vs. Trojans?

• TV Channel: Golden Bears vs Trojans 2021 College Basketball, week 15, is broadcasted on .
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
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