LOS ANGELES – In a city where dreams are made, the University of Wisconsin is watching point guard John Blackwell become a fast-rising star in his featured role right before their eyes.

The sophomore point guard was critical in jump-starting the offense and steadying the ship in the second half, helping No.24 Wisconsin earn a hard-fought 84-69 victory over USC at the Galen Center Saturday afternoon.

Blackwell finished with a game-high 28 points to go along with five rebounds, an assist, and a steal, punctuating his night with a steal and slam in the final minute to push the Badgers (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) through a second half where it nearly gave away a 19-point lead.

Max Klesmit added 16 for Wisconsin, his highest-scoring outing since December 7 to push the Badgers winning streak to seven. Nolan Winter (13) and Kamari McGee (10) also reached double figures.

Wisconsin looked in firm control until the Trojans (11-7, 3-4) started finding their offense, as a combination of three-pointers and dribble penetration cut the deficit to six with 14:51 remaining.

It was eerily reminiscent of Tuesday when Wisconsin led Ohio State by 17 points at halftime only to need a stop on the last possession to survive with a 70-68 win.

That’s when Klesmit found a gap in the defense and drove for an uncontested layup, Blackwell doubled the run with his drive to the bucket, and Klesmit drilled a jumper off a steal from Blackwell.

With the momentum back on its bench, the Badgers delivered the dagger with a 15-5 run, giving them a 70-57 lead with 6:13 remaining.

Minus its three turnovers on the opening three possessions, the Badgers built a 15-point lead over the game’s first 17 possessions with productive offense at the rim, the perimeter, and from the free-throw line.

Wisconsin started the game shooting 71.4 percent, finished the first half at 58.3 and shot 56.4 percent for the game.

Senior forward Saint Thomas scored 17 points to lead USC.

What it means: Wisconsin made it harder than it needed to be, but the depth and explosiveness of the Badgers’ offense, especially when their defense is locked in, makes them a hard team to compete against.

Star of the game: Blackwell has been the opening spark for Wisconsin over the last two games, attacking the rim and hitting from the perimeter. The sophomore is averaging 16.7 points in road/neutral games this season.

Stat of the game: Leading-scorer John Tonje (18.2 ppg) didn’t score and only attempted three shots, but the Badgers still won by double digits on the road.

Reason to be Concerned: When will these second-half starts bite Wisconsin? UW has played with fire the last two games in quickly seeing big double-digit leads evaporate. The Badgers are fortunate that the lapses haven’t come against “elite-level” teams within the conference.

Don’t overlook: The comfort level of Xavier Amos is night and day compared to when he first arrived. The transfer from Northern Illinois scored and looked comfortable putting the ball on the floor, taking his 6-7 frame down the paint and drawing contact to get to the foul line.

What’s next: Wisconsin will stay and practice in Los Angeles over the next two days before playing UCLA at Pawley Pavilion on Tuesday night. The Bruins (12-6, 3-4) have struggled early on in their first Big Ten season with travel demands and the league's physicality. Their three wins are over former Pac-12 opponents Oregon and Washington and against defense-less Iowa on Friday. While UCLA ranks 15th in the league in scoring, they have the top-scoring defense in the conference at 63.72 points per game.

UCLA is 5-2 in its series against Wisconsin and has won the last five meetings. UW hasn’t played UCLA in Los Angeles since 1972 and lost the most recent meeting in 2017. The tip is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and will be televised on Peacock.

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