Led by forward Jesse Perry’s eight points and an emphatic dunk by Derrick Williams before the halftime break, the Arizona Wildcats lead the USC Trojans at the break.

The Trojans, coached by assistant Bob Cantu, came out with energy.

Donte Smith hit a 3-pointer in transition as USC took its first lead of the game right before the first media timeout putting the Trojans ahead 12-9.

Letting the Pac-10 defensive player of the year Marcus Simmons have face up shots on the perimeter and sinking down on defense, Simmons made the Wildcats pay. He scored eight of the first 15 Trojan points.

Williams and Perry took one or two dribble drives into the lane. Perry scored six points in the first 12 minutes, and despite pressure from USC’s Simmons on UA guard Momo Jones, Arizona’s points scored five points and recorded two assists and no turnovers.

In the first half, Arizona shot only 41 percent to the Trojans’ 55 percent from the field.