LOS ANGELES >> When USC last faced UCLA this season, the only time Bennie Boatwright appeared on the Galen Center court came in warm-ups.
Boatwright, the Trojans’ 6-foot-10 forward, was then in his eighth week recovering from a knee sprain suffered during a November non-conference game at San Diego.
The talented sophomore scorer was close to a return, though not quite yet. He went through most of the drills leading up to tip-off, but did not play.
USC secured a victory regardless, marking its fourth straight over UCLA.
Boatwright’s return to the crosstown rivalry came Saturday, as the teams squared off at Pauley Pavilion, providing a needed boost for the Trojans in front of a hostile, sold-out crowd.
At home this season, the Bruins had lost only one game, to Arizona here in mid-January.
But the pick-me-up was minimal.
This time, USC lost handily 102-70 trailing for the entire second half. It was its second consecutive loss, the first time it dropped back-to-back games since early January when it fell to California and Utah in the same week.
Boatwright on Saturday night finished with a team-high 20 points in 31 minutes, shooting 4 for 12, but making 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Early on, it seemed like his presence might leave a notable imprint.
On the Trojans’ first possession of the game, Boatwright drilled a 3-pointer from the wing.
He made another 3 from the corner a couple of possessions later, starting 2 for 4 from beyond the arc.
It was a notable uptick. In USC’s loss to Oregon a week earlier, Boatwright saw his toughest game since returning from his knee injury, using 15 shots to score 15 points and finishing 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
Boatwright has shot 37 percent in the last two games.
But collectively, the Trojans were out of rhythm offensively for much of the game.
They shot 33.8 percent from the field, marking the second consecutive game that they shot below 40 percent.
“That’s not going to cut it,” USC coach Andy Enfield said after the game.
Against Oregon, that mark was below 38 percent.
USC’s other top scorers, Jordan McLaughlin, Chimezie Metu and Elijah Stewart, were a combined 11-of-29 shooting (37.9 percent).
The Trojans’ defense also remained out of sorts, allowing a season-high 102 points.
It saw UCLA shoot 54 percent and score 56 points during the second half.
The Bruins put up many of those points in the final minutes, including a two-handed slam dunk on a fast-break by Lonzo Ball with 1:11 left in the game.
The Trojans travel to Arizona on Thursday.
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