No. 5 Nevada dominates USC in 2nd half of 73-61 victory

Jordan Caroline scored 22 points and No. 5 Nevada took control with a dominant second half to beat Southern California 73-61 on Saturday and equal its 8-0 start from last season.

Tre'Shawn Thurman added 14 points and nine rebounds and Caleb Martin had 12 points for the Wolfpack, who outscored USC 39-26 over the final 20 minutes.

It marked a major turnaround from the first half, when the Trojans shot 50 percent from the field and led by as many as seven points. The Wolf Pack missed more than half their field goal attempts and leading scorer Martin had just seven points, leaving them trailing by one at the break.

Nick Rakocevic had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans (5-3) as their three-game winning streak ended. Bennie Boatwright, their leading scorer at 16.8 points, was held to seven points.

USC came out aggressively to start the game, driving to the basket, crashing the boards and closely defending Martin, who entered the game averaging 21 points.

Caroline and Thurman carried Nevada in the first half, each scoring 11 points.

USC didn't appear to be the same team in the second half, when the Trojans never put together a scoring run.

The Wolf Pack turned things around quickly, outscoring USC 9-0 to open the second half. It was the start of a 31-11 run that produced Nevada's largest lead, 65-46. The spurt included three consecutive 3-pointers by Jazz Johnson (two) and Thurman.

TIP-INS

Nevada: Los Angeles Lakers player JaVale McGee, who played two years at Nevada before leaving for the NBA, sat courtside wearing a Nevada hoodie. His Hall of Fame mother, Pam McGee, who starred in basketball at USC, wore a Trojans jersey. ... More than 20 pro scouts were in attendance. ... The teams played each other for the first time since 1976. The Wolf Pack trail the series 2-1.

USC: G Kevin Porter Jr., the Trojans' third-leading scorer, returned to play in the second half after missing two games with a right quadriceps contusion. He was scoreless in four minutes. ... Coach Andy Enfield needs one win for his 100th at USC. He is 99-79 in his sixth season. ... Before the game, Boatwright received the ball used to score his 1,000th career point against Texas Tech on Nov. 19 in Kansas City.

UP NEXT

Nevada: Returns to Los Angeles on Friday to play Arizona State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Staples Center.

USC: Plays TCU on Friday as part of the tripleheader at Staples.

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