No. 23 Arizona went the final 8:20 without a field goal and nearly coughed up a 20-point second-half lead, but held off visiting USC, 85-80, Thursday at McKale Center.

Arizona (16-6, 6-3 Pac-12) went on a 10-0 run in the early second half to pull ahead, 61-41. But behind Nick Rakocevic, who scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime, USC (17-6, 6-4) chipped away to cut the gap to as few as three points.

Jonah Mathews knocked down a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining, pulling the Trojans to within 83-80. Nico Mannion, who scored 12 of his team-high 20 points at the free-throw line, put the game away for Arizona on the ensuing possession.

The Wildcats' final 15 points came from the foul stripe. Arizona shot 28-of-40 from the line on the night.

Zeke Nnaji and Josh Green both scored 18 points for the Wildcats. Nnaji recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds. Stone Gettings scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, five on the offensive end. Mannion dished seven assists.

Arizona threatened to run away with the game on a few occasions early, building a double-digit lead in the first half. Onyeka Okongwu was key in keeping USC in striking distance, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the first half.

Along with Rakocevic, the Trojans got a boost after intermission from Daniel Utomi. He scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half.

USC veterans Rakocevic and Mathews did not start and only came into the game after the first media timeout, punishment for unspecified violations of team rules. While Rakocevic came alive in the second half, Mathews finished with a quiet six points, almost seven below his season average.

Arizona's sluggish finish mirrored a January loss at Arizona State, in which the Wildcats gave up a 21-point lead. USC, meanwhile, rallied from down 21 in a win over Stanford in January.

The win keeps Arizona on pace in a Pac-12 logjam. A group of five teams, including both Arizona and USC, came into Thursday's games tied atop the conference in the loss column.

--Field Level Media