Bronny James earns technical foul after massive block, crowd reacts
Regardless of the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins record, the Crosstown Rivalry is consistently a hot ticket. This year’s game will feature a possible lottery pick for the Trojans, LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr., James got the crowd going early with an emphatic block that would draw the ire of the referees reffing the game.
The USC sensational freshman rolls up for a big-time block on UCLA guard Dylan Andrews, squaring the ball into the crowd at Galen Arena. After the emphatic swat, James channeled the energy of his father, giving Andrews a bit of a stare-down. That prompted the referees to quickly issue a technical file to the USC guard, which resulted in an uproar of booze by the UCLA fans, Which can be seen in the video below.
James is said to have yelled, “Give me that s***,” after the block, which did not sit well with the referees as a staredown accompanied it. Still, the referee’s decision did not sit well with the fans, who booed them relentlessly, and Andrews as he attempted the technical foul free throw. You can check out the fan’s displeasure in the second video attached to this story below.
USC falls hard in the Crosstown rivalry
Saturday’s battle for LA ended up being a night to forget for James and the Trojans. USC started the game hot, taking a seven-point, 20-13, lead midway through the first half. Unfortunately, they quickly found themselves trailing UCLA, who is also having an abysmal 2023- 2024 season. The Bruins would go on a 24-6 run to take a 37-26 lead into halftime. From there, things did not get much better for USC, as they found themselves chilling by as many as 18 points in the second half.
James had another quiet night off the bench with just two points coming off of a 2-2 night from the free throw line. From the field, he was 0-3 and 0-1 from beyond the arc. James would end the game with four total rebounds, the aforementioned block, and as many turnovers as points scored in his 15 minutes of action.
USC finds themselves in a proverbial tailspin, sitting at the bottom of the pack trial conference with an 8-12 overall record and 0-7 in conference play. The Trojans are also on a five-game losing streak, which they hope to end to start the month of February when they host the Oregon Ducks. Should they find themselves falling for the sixth straight time against Oregon on February 1, the season might be too far gone by then for USC to salvage and hopefully earn a berth in the NCAA championship tournament in March.