• Recap
• Bleachers

USC takes down No. 10 Arizona

Feb 25, 2011 - 8:08 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points with 12 rebounds to lead Southern California to a 65-57 upset of No. 10 Arizona on Thursday, snapping the Wildcats' eight-game winning streak.

Jio Fontan added 21 points for the Trojans (16-12, 8-7 Pac-10), who have won three games in a row for the first time this season. Alex Stephenson posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Jesse Perry scored 12 points and Kevin Parrom had 10 to lead a threadbare offense for Arizona, which shot just 36 percent from the floor for its lowest point total of the season.

The conference-leading Wildcats (23-5, 12-3) hadn't lost since falling at Washington on January 20.

"You forget that you have some really hungry teams awaiting you because of the success you've had," said Arizona head coach Sean Miller. "It's as hard to finish out a really good season as it is to establish one."

USC trailed 28-25 at halftime, but outscored the Wildcats 40-29 in the second half despite missing all eight of its three-point attempts in the last 20 minutes.

Hanging on down the stretch, defense made the difference.

Lamont Jones, Arizona's second-leading scorer, was blocked twice in the final minutes as the Wildcats tried to rally. After being stuffed by Stephenson, Jones drove the paint for what looked like a gimme layup that would have tied the game at 58.

But Trojans guard Marcus Simmons trailed him into the lane and timed the play perfectly, swatting the ball away to preserve a 58-56 lead.

USC sealed the game at the free throw line. Vucevic made two foul shots with 58.2 seconds left for a 60-56 advantage, and after Kyle Fogg went 1-for-2 for Arizona, Fontan knocked down 3-of-4 on two separate trips for a 63-57 lead with just 10.3 seconds remaining.

Parrom missed a layup and Derrick Williams missed a three-pointer at the other end as the Wildcats scrambled for points. Vucevic then made a pair of free throws for the final margin.

Game Notes

Williams, who entered the game averaging a team-high 19.7 points for the Wildcats, scored just eight on 3-of-11 shooting...Jones had nine points...Arizona still leads the all-time series 57-40.