Senior Jesse Perry’s 20 points were enough to pace the Arizona Wildcats through an ugly 57-46 win over the USC Trojans on Saturday. The Wildcats survived a poor shooting performance to salvage a split on the road against the Los Angeles schools this weekend.
The Wildcats shot just 21-for-48 from the field and 2-of-15 from 3-point range, but the Trojans (5-12, 0-4) were worse, shooting a season-low 29 percent. Their 46 points were the second-lowest opponent total against Arizona this season.
The win was the Wildcats’ (11-5, 2-1) first in Pacific 12 Conference road win and the Arizona’s first win at the Galen Center since the 2008 season.
Along with Perry’s points, junior Solomon Hill picked up his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Fogg also finished in double figures with 10 points. Freshman Nick Johnson only had four points, but finished with a career-high seven rebounds.
Freshman Josiah Turner started for the second game in a row. He replaced sophomore Jordin Mayes in the starting lineup in Arizona’s game against UCLA. He finished with two points, three assists and a steal.
Arizona had the opportunity to open up the game out even more, but 17 turnovers helped USC hang around. Arizona had a 32-16 halftime lead never let the Trojans come within 10 points.
Both teams struggled from beyond the three-point line. Combined, the Wildcats and the Trojans were 3-for-30. USC did not hit its first 3-pointer until Maurice Jones hit one in the half way through the second half. It was the Trojans’ only 3-pointer.
Arizona will host Oregon State and Oregon next weekend. The Wildcats will tip off against the Beavers on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.