Associated Press UA junior forward Luke Walton loses control of the ball in front of Southern California's Sam Clancy, center, and Arizona's Isaiah Fox, left, in the second half Saturday, in Los Angeles. USC won 94-89, knocking the Wildcats out of first place in the Pac-10.

LOS ANGELES - David Bluthenthal got back in the good graces of Southern California coach Henry Bibby at just the right time.

Bluthenthal scored 23 of his career-high 31 points in the second half, and Sam Clancy had 28 points and 11 rebounds as No. 25 USC beat Arizona (No. 9) 94-89 Saturday to move into a first-place tie in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Bluthenthal had scored a total of 21 points in four games before coming off the bench to score 21 in an 83-61 victory over Arizona State on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-7 senior returned to the starting lineup against Arizona and came through with a career game, making 12 of 19 shots, including seven of 12 from 3-point range. He also had nine rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

Bluthenthal was in a zone in the second half, making nine of 10 shots, including four of five shooting from three-point range. His back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Trojans an 81-77 lead with 3:17 remaining, and they were on top the rest of the way.

"A huge win," Bluthenthal said with a broad grin after what he acknowledged was the best game of his career.

Bluthenthal said he wasn't angry about being benched by Bibby.

"He told me I was going to get my playing time," Bluthenthal said. "He might have been trying to send a message to me. I had been working hard up to that point. I just stayed positive and kept working harder."

Bluthenthal said he probably took more shots in the last week than he has in a similar period in his life in preparing for the Arizona schools.

"Probably a thousand," he said when asked how many per day.

Bibby refused to say Bluthenthal was in his doghouse.

"We're always proud of David Bluthenthal," Bibby said. "Sometimes you run into obstacles; you're going to have your ups and downs. But when he plays like that, we can play with a lot of teams."

By winning for just the second time in their last 10 games against Arizona, the Trojans (18-7, 10-4 Pac-10) moved ahead of the Wildcats in a bunched conference race.

"USC deserved to win," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "They were much more aggressive on the glass. We made too many mistakes with the ball.

"USC is much stronger and physical than us. With the combination of Clancy and Bluthenthal, they have perhaps the best pair of big men in the conference."

The Wildcats (17-8, 10-5) made 28 of 54 shots (51.9 percent) and 16 of 29 from 3-point range (53.6 percent), but committed 18 turnovers to only seven for USC and were outrebounded 36-33.

USC shot 33 of 73 (45.2 percent) including 10 of 30 from 3-point range (33.3 percent).

Arizona suffered its second straight tough loss in Los Angeles, having lost to UCLA 77-76 on Thursday night.

The Bruins (17-8, 9-5) were upset 69-68 by Arizona State on Saturday.

Clancy's double-double was his 10th straight, the longest such active streak in the country. He has played 40 minutes in three straight games and four of the last five.

"Everyone played great," Clancy said. "As a team, I think it was one of our best games."

Of Bluthenthal, Clancy said: "He made some big shots. If he doesn't make them, we don't win the game. He's one of the best shooters in the country."

Errick Craven added 14 points and Brandon Granville scored 12 - all in the second half - and had 11 assists for USC.

Jason Gardner led Arizona with 27 points, but was held scoreless for the first 141/2 minutes and didn't score after making a 3-pointer with 6:17 remaining.

Luke Walton added 19 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, and Rick Anderson and Salim Stoudamire scored 18 for the Wildcats. Anderson's point total matched his career high, and he also had 11 rebounds.

A basket by Channing Frye gave Arizona a 77-75 lead before Bluthenthal made his key 3-pointers.

Stoudamire's 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds cut USC's lead to 91-89 before Granville, who made seven of eight foul shots in the final 50 seconds, sank one of two to give the Trojans a three-point lead.

Gardner was called for traveling with 2.9 seconds to play, and Craven's dunk in the final second completed the scoring.

Bluthenthal made consecutive 3-pointers to cap a 15-6 USC run to begin the second half, putting the Trojans on top 57-51.

Then it was Arizona's turn, as Gardner's eight points sparked a 13-0 spurt in a little over three minutes that gave the Wildcats a 69-62 lead.

Craven's 3-pointer ended a five-minute USC scoring drought and triggered a 9-0 run capped by Bluthenthal's 3-pointer that put the Trojans ahead 71-69 with 6:43 left.

Arizona won a 97-80 decision when the teams met in Tucson last month, rolling to a 34-7 lead in handing the Trojans their most one-sided loss of the season.

There would be no such fast start for the Wildcats in this game. USC led 30-18 before the Wildcats finished the first half by outscoring the Trojans 27-12 for a 45-42 lead.