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UCLA looks to rebound from first loss at rival USC

Jan 13, 2007 - 3:40 PM No. 3 UCLA (14-1) at USC (13-4) 2:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - To return to their winning ways, Arron Afflalo and UCLA will need to halt their struggles at rival Southern California.

Afflalo and the third-ranked Bruins aim to recover from their first loss of the season when they travel to intracity rival USC in a Pac-10 Conference showdown on Saturday.

The runner-up in the national championship game last season, UCLA (14-1, 3-1 Pac-10) had its five-week reign as the top-ranked team in the nation come to an end after absorbing a 68-66 setback at No. 17 Oregon last Saturday.

Afflalo, who scored just 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting in the loss, will need to return to better play against the Trojans, who have won six of the last 10 meetings, including four of the last five here.

The Bruins' leading scorer at 16.3 points per game on 48 percent shooting, Afflalo will have to carry more of a role as sophomore swingman Josh Shipp will not play due to a right hamstring injury.

Shipp, who missed all but four games in 2005-06 due to a hip injury, is the team's second-leading scorer with 14.7 points per game.

UCLA has not dropped two straight games since last February 19, when it was unable to bounce back from a 70-67 loss at Washington by absorbing a 71-68 setback here.

Junior swingman Nick Young, the Trojans' leading scorer (16.5), had 15 in that contest, leading five players in double figures.

USC (13-4, 3-1) routed Oregon State on the road last Saturday 91-46, with senior guard Lodrick Stewart scoring a career-high 28 points and freshman forward Taj Gibson adding 20.