No. 1 Arizona 73, USC 53: Brandon Ashley and T.J. McConnell each recorded season highs of 19 points as the visiting Wildcats clinched the best start in program history.

Nick Johnson scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half and contributed five steals and Aaron Gordon had 12 points and eight rebounds for Arizona (17-0, 4-0 Pac-12). McConnell shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range while also delivering six assists for the Wildcats.

Byron Wesley had team highs of 18 points and six rebounds to lead USC (9-7, 0-3). Strahinja Gavrilovic scored a career-high 10 points off the bench and Julian Jacobs added nine points and four steals for the Trojans, who lost the turnover battle 18-8.

USC led 27-23 with just under five minutes left in the first half but missed its next nine field goal attempts and the Wildcats went on a 11-0 run to retake the lead before entering the half with a 34-31 advantage. The Trojans were leaving McConnell open for the 3-point shot and he made all three of his tries in the first half.

The Wildcats opened the second half by scoring the first eight points to stretch their lead to 11. USC got back within five just past the midway point of the half but that was as close as it would get as McConnell’s fourth 3-pointer established a season high and extended the lead back to 10 with just over six minutes remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona swept its Southern California swing against UCLA and USC for the first time since the 2004-05 season. … Arizona and USC each grabbed 30 rebounds, marking the first time the Wildcats have not won the rebounding battle in a game this season. … The Wildcats limited the Trojans to 22 second-half points after coming in holding opponents to an average of 29.2 points.