Cal rallies in second half to hand USC first loss

Andrej Stojakovic scored 20 points and Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 19 points to help Cal rally past USC 71-66 on Sunday in Los Angeles.The Golden Bears (3-1) held the Trojans without a point for almost five minutes late in a physical second half as Cal turned a one-point deficit into a 68-64 lead with 1:51 left in the game.After USC forward Saint Thomas hit a jumper with 6:30 left in the second half to give the Trojans a one-point lead, BJ Omot knocked down a 3-pointer to push Cal ahead 66-64. Joshua Ola-Joseph’s layup gave the Golden Bears a four-point cushion.Desmond Claude responded with a jumper to end USC’s scoring drought and cut the Bears’ lead to 68-66 with 1:35 left. Terrance Williams II missed a 3-point attempt with 55 seconds left and the Bears made three free throws to seal the victory.Claude scored 20 points for USC (3-1), which suffered its first loss of the season. Thomas scored 15 points and Wesley Yates III added 10 points.Cal shot 49.1 percent from the floor, but hit only 7 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc. The Trojans hit 43.9 percent from the floor and were even worse from 3-point range, hitting 6 of 21 shots.

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