Ellis scores 17, USC beats Utah 71-56

Boogie Ellis scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, Tre White added 13 points and Southern California beat Utah 71-56 Saturday night.

USC (13-5, 5-2 Pac-12) has won nine consecutive home games, the longest single-season streak of its kind since the Trojans won their first nine games at the Galen Center to start the 2016-17 season.

Reese Dixon-Waters and Drew Peterson each had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Southern Cal.

Branden Carlson returned from a one-game absence (non-COVID illness) for Utah (12-7, 5-3) and finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting (3 of 5 from 3-point range), nine rebounds and three blocks. Rollie Worster added 12 points.

Worster made a layup to trim Utah's deficit to 39-34 at halftime. Carlson made two free throws and then threw down a dunk before Gabe Madsen hit a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run to open the second half and give the Runnin' Utes a two-point lead. Ellis answered with a 3-pointer to give USC the lead for good and Dixon-Waters hit a 3-pointer in an 11-2 spurt that made it 59-49 with eight minutes to go.

Utah shot 34% (21 of 61) from the field and made 8 of 25 (32%) from 3-point range.

Ellis has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games following a three-game stretch in which he scored a total of 18 points on 7-of-28 shooting, 2 of 15 from behind the arc.

The Utes have lost three games in a row.

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