Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, January 6, 2019

Southern California earned its fourth consecutive men’s basketball win Sunday, knocking off Stanford 77-66 at Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Nick Rakocevic led the Trojans (9-6 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) with 23 points, with Bennie Boatwright adding 22. USC won its first two conference games of the season for the first time since 2010.

Rakocevic also grabbed 10 rebounds, giving him his seventh double-double of the season. Rakocevic and Boatwright combined for 45 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, two steals and only two turnovers.

The Cardinal (7-7, 0-2), meanwhile, have lost three of their last four contests.

Cormac Ryan led Stanford with 18 points — all on 3-pointers he hit in the second half. Daejon Davis and KZ Okpala contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Cardinal.

The Trojans jumped to a 13-point run to open the game and led until Okpala drained a 3-pointer with 12:45 remaining, giving Stanford a 49-46 lead. Southern Cal later pulled away with an 11-0 run, taking a 68-55 lead with 2:22 to play.

The Cardinal return home Wednesday to host Arizona. Tipoff set for 8:00 pm.