LOS ANGELES — Nikola Vucevic scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Southern California defeated UC Irvine 62-49 in its season opener Saturday.

Vucevic and frontcourt mate Alex Stepheson helped the Trojans dominate the boards 47-26, with Vucevic snagging 14 rebounds and Stepheson 13 to go with six points. Bryce Jones added 14 points, including three 3-pointers, and Maurice Jones, who is not related, had 13 points.

Pavol Losonsky led the Anteaters with 13 points, and Eric Wise added 12. Irvine (0-2) fell to 10-31 against Pac-10 schools.

The Trojans got started on a season in which they have something to play for after sitting out the postseason in March because of school-imposed sanctions relating to O.J. Mayo's stint with the team.

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Vucevic was big on the boards in the first half, when he scored only two points. He started the second half with a 3-pointer. His highlight play came when he grabbed a missed 3-point attempt as it skimmed across the basket and slammed it in one-handed, extending USC's lead to 51-38.

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