Head coach Kevin O'Neill's USC squad could not overcome a 12-point halftime deficit in its 61-54 setback against UC Irvine on Thursday at Galen Center.

Center Omar Oraby led the Trojans' offense with 12 points and senior forward Eric Wise chipped in 10 against his former team, as USC (4-7) fell for the sixth time in seven games. The Trojans failed to break the 60-point mark for the third time in their past five outings.

Daman Starring connected on 5-of-6 from three-point range to finish with 23 points for the Anteaters. Irvine held a plus-11 edge over USC in points off turnovers.

The Trojans next travel to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. PT.

Follow more of Neon Tommy's USC basketball coverage here.

Reach Staff Reporter Danny Lee here; follow him here.