USC routs Utah, 62-45, for first Pac-12 win

As the seconds ticked down at the end of the first half, USC was struggling to get off a final shot against Utah.

Trojans freshman Byron Wesley launched a desperation 25-footer, and the ball improbably banked off the backboard and through the rim. It was that kind of night for the Trojans.

In a season marked by injuries and struggles, USC finally got to feel good, dispatching Utah, 62-45, at the Galen Center on Saturday night for its first Pac-12 Conference victory.

“It was a long time coming,” USC Coach Kevin O’Neill said.

Sophomore forward Garrett Jackson and sophomore guard Maurice Jones each scored 16 points, and junior guard Greg Allen made three three-pointers as the Trojans ended a nine-game losing streak that began more than a month ago against Kansas.

A relieved O’Neill referenced Towson State, which ended a record 41-game losing streak on Saturday by defeating North Carolina Wilmington.

“I was looking at this thing like, ‘Oh man. Towson just broke their streak. We’re headed for 20,’ ” O’Neill said.

Instead, USC led Utah from start to finish and improved to 6-16 overall and 1-8 in conference play. It was the Trojans’ first victory since routing Texas Christian on Dec. 19.

The mood Saturday night was decidedly brighter than Thursday, when the Trojans suffered their worst loss of the season against Colorado and also lost 7-footer Dewayne Dedmon for the season because of a knee injury.

“It was good to see everyone excited,” Jackson said. “We want to keep that feeling going.”

On Friday, Jackson had said: “We can’t focus on what we don’t have -- we have to focus on what we do have.”

What the Trojans had Saturday was a beatable opponent.

Utah, coming off a 76-49 loss to UCLA, remained winless on the road and fell to 5-16, 2-7 in conference play.

O’Neill had feared that a USC roster featuring only six scholarship players would be taxed and fall into foul trouble.

But the Trojans led from start to finish, shooting 48% and committing only seven turnovers.

Utah trimmed an 18-point halftime deficit to 12 points three times in the final four minutes.

But Jones made a three-pointer, and Jackson and freshman guard Alexis Moore each made two free throws to quell the threats.

The Trojans led 32-14 at halftime, getting nine points from Jackson while turning many of the Utes’ nine first-half turnovers into easy baskets.

Wesley made the first basket of the game, the start of a 13-2 run that included a 17-footer by Moore, two baskets by Jones and a three-pointer by Allen.

The Trojans took a 20-7 lead when 7-1 center James Blasczyk scored on a put-back. Jackson added a three-pointer and the Trojans had a 16-point lead.

The margin grew to 17 late in the half and topped out at 18 when Wesley banked in his three-pointer at the buzzer.

gary.klein@latimes.com

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