Sports
Not even the return of Boogie Ellis in a rivalry game could fix USC's scoring woes
Boogie Ellis waved hello with three fingers. The fifth-year guard swished a three-pointer on his first shot after a three-game absence, flashing three fingers toward a sold-out Galen Center crowd. Briefly, he looked like USC’s best hope to save its season.
But Ellis’ eight-point flurry in seven minutes against the Bruins could do little to shift USC’s offensive misfortunes. The team’s problems are too large for just the leading scorer to solve.
UCLA held USC to its lowest scoring total of the season in a 65-50 loss Saturday. As effortlessly as the Trojans (8-12, 2-7 Pac-12) ripped off a 10-point run in the first half, they also let UCLA bury them in a 22-4 avalanche going into halftime. USC allowed the Bruins (9-11, 4-5 Pac-12) to carry the momentum of the run for the rest of the game, forward Joshua Morgan admitted sheepishly.
The Trojans never found a second gear despite the high stakes. They had won five in a row at home against their rivals. The team’s NCAA tournament hopes are fading with each game tacked onto the losing streak. The five consecutive losses are the most for the program since 2015.
“We’ve gotta have some more pride,” Ellis said. “At the end of the day, we had a lot of guys on last year’s team who really knew how much it meant to us. I feel like we just gotta establish the culture. We got a lot of young guys now. We just gotta want it more.”
Even with Ellis back from a nagging hamstring injury, USC’s offense is still stuck in neutral without freshman point guard Isaiah Collier.
USC is averaging 61.2 points in its last five games after averaging 77.9 points in the first 16 games. Ellis reinjured his hamstring in a loss to Washington State that also saw Collier injure his right hand. The backcourt tandem missed three consecutive road games before Ellis returned Saturday on one day’s practice. Collier, the No. 1-ranked recruit in his class, will sit out two to four more weeks because of a right hand injury.
For the Trojans, his return can’t come soon enough.
“I feel like Zay, he does a great job of getting in the paint, he draws a lot of attention. Teams can’t really sit in the gaps as much because he’s going to find the open shooter,” Ellis said. “I feel like we gotta continue to move the ball, make our open shots, feed the ball in the post, play inside-out. … At the end of the day, we just gotta make shots.”
Sophomore Oziyah Sellers was the only Trojan to score in double figures Saturday, notching 10 points on three-for-three shooting. With no one in rhythm on offense, coach Andy Enfield said he drew up different plays in the second half to try to get various players going. The Trojans tried to post up Kobe Johnson, who was just three-for-seven shooting for eight points. Sellers was the target on two plays. So was Bronny James, who went scoreless from the field on three shots and picked up an early technical foul for taunting UCLA’s Dylan Andrews after a blocked shot.
After Ellis scored eight points on his first four shots, UCLA — the best scoring defense in the Pac-12 — dialed up its defense to face guard Ellis and deny him the ball. He missed his final six shots.
“Offense is a team game,” Enfield said. “You have to share the ball, you have to make plays for your teammates and then when it’s your time to step up and make a shot, you hope you can do that at a certain percentage, and unfortunately, we had a little trouble doing that for most of the game.”
While Enfield, Morgan and Ellis all emphasized the team is staying positive in trying to improve, Ellis is also resigned. Even with more than half of the Pac-12 slate to go, he knows each little bit of progress during the regular season needs to pay off in Las Vegas, site of the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
“From here on out, I feel like we just need to focus on doing what we can do, taking it one game at a time and getting better for the Pac-12 tournament,” Ellis said, “because we have to win it.”
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UFC champion Carlos Ulberg says he lost his championship belt that he just won after capturing the light heavyweight title at UCF 327.
He told Fox Sports Australia Monday he misplaced his golden title belt while celebrating his victory.
“I’ve lost the belt, bro,” Ulberg told FOX Sports. “Initially after winning, the plan was to not have a drink. But you know how these things go, right?” he said.
“First, someone gives you a champagne to celebrate. Then one thing leads to another, and you’re doing shots.”
Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 327 in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The 35-year-old from New Zealand fought through a knee injury to defeat Jiri Prochazka in the main event at UFC 327 by knockout this weekend in Miami to become the new champion of the light heavyweight division.
His injury could keep him sidelined for a year, meaning he will have to give up his champion status anyway, with UCF holding an interim title fight to take his place.
Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand celebrates his knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., April 11, 2026. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
But Ulberg said he’s fairly confident his belt will be found before he heads to Las Vegas to get further evaluation from doctors on his knee. He then plans to spend time at the UFC Performance Institute before returning to New Zealand to be with family.
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“I didn’t want to be carrying the belt around, so I think it’s still there at the apartment somewhere. One of the boys probably has it in bed with him,” Ulberg said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The elephant in the room for the Lakers as they enter the playoffs has been, and will continue to be, the status of their starting backcourt, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Both are out because of injuries — Doncic with a grade 2 left hamstring strain and Reaves with a grade 2 left oblique strain — and neither is expected to play in the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets that begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
After practice Friday, coach JJ Redick was quick to say “there’s not” when asked about an update on Doncic and Reaves.
After Doncic and Reaves were injured on April 2 at Oklahoma City, the Lakers said both would be out until the end of the regular season. According to people not authorized to speak on the matter, both are expected to be out four to six weeks.
Doncic went to Spain to get treatment, and Reaves has been working diligently in L.A., with the hope that they can return sooner.
The Lakers miss their combined output of 56.8 points, 13.8 assists and 12.4 rebounds per game. Doncic led the NBA in scoring (33.5) and was third in assists (8.3); he was second on the Lakers in rebounding (7.7).
During the week of practice, Reaves was around his teammates and seen shooting after a few practices. He appeared to be in good spirits. Doncic was supposed to be back by Friday.
“We love having Austin here and we’re glad he is in a position to do his return-to-play [work], however long it takes with us,” Redick said. “Excited to get Luka back and be around the group. Austin and I talk just about every day about different things. So he’s … just being a part of this. …
“The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point. We don’t know what that is, and that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The theme of the Lakers’ week at practice was to “elevate” their work.
Yes, they won’t have Doncic and Reaves, but that didn’t mean the Lakers couldn’t work harder.
When they worked on box-out drills in preparation for the way the Rockets attack the offensive boards, the Lakers went hard. When they watched film and had practice sessions, the Lakers worked with a purpose.
“The word we’ve used all week is ‘elevate.’ I think that’s what it is,” Redick said. “We all know the playoffs are different. They’re harder. There’s no easy matchups, and you have to be able to elevate your play. But beyond that, it’s elevating your recovery, your attention to detail, your preparation.
“I talked about that with my coaches as we started this week on Monday morning. It was an off day for the guys, but we were in there for six hours and we’ve all collectively gotta elevate. And particularly when you’re missing two of your top guys, part of elevating is elevating each other and the belief that the group as a whole can be great.”
The Rockets are a tough and rugged team that is good on defense and at rebounding.
They ranked fourth in the NBA in points given up (110.0) and sixth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.0). They were tops in rebounding (48.1) and offensive rebounds (15.0).
That has the Lakers’ attention and is why they worked so hard during practice.
“It’s been great. The level of focus and attention to detail, the communication, everything has been elevated,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that’s been to the playoffs and know what it takes.
“Like you said, everything elevates around this time and having a veteran group that’s kind of been there and had a taste of the playoffs, we all know what it takes to win games in the playoffs. It’s everybody going out and doing their job and paying attention to the game plan.”
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LAS VEGAS – Chelsea Green has been one of the hardest working pro wrestlers in WWE since she returned to the company in 2023 and has put together history-making moments.
Green was the first women’s United States champion in the belt’s history and the first to have multiple reigns. She’s been knocked off ladders and thrown in dumpsters, and yet, strings of bad luck have kept her off the WrestleMania card for the last three years.
Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on Jan. 23, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE)
WWE star Alba Fyre, who is a part of Green’s Secret Hervice, told Fox News Digital she would have liked to have seen the Canadian star on the card.
“You know, we’re always rooting for Chelsea,” Fyre said. “Obviously, I’m a big fan of Chelsea, but I think it’s a shame that she’s not on the card this year. She should be the headliner.”
This year, it was a bit out of her hands.
Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre enter the ring during SmackDown at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
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Green suffered an ankle injury in the months leading up to WrestleMania 42. She hasn’t been in the ring in a few weeks, but still remained on screen. She was seen on “Friday Night SmackDown” as of late trying to be in the corner of Tiffany Stratton, who is eyeing the United States Championship herself in a battle with Giulia.
Green was off the card for WrestleMania 40 and 41. She last appeared at the event in a fatal four-way tag team match with Sonya Deville at WrestleMania 39.
Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
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Pro wrestling fans will be interested to see how the next 12 months go for Green. She may work herself back up the ladder and get into contention for the women’s title once again. If so, she’ll either have to contend with Jade Cargill or Rhea Ripley.
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