March 5, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Clinging to hopes of a comeback in pursuit of the Lexus Gauntlet, No. 6 UCLA faces another must-win situation as it takes on No. 10-ranked USC in men's tennis Thursday (Mar. 6) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The winner of the dual match will claim the first 2.5-of-5 available points in the sport toward the seventh annual all-sports rivalry trophy.

USC holds a 50-20 advantage in the head-to-head battle for college sports supremacy in Los Angeles. Entering Thursday's tennis showdown, the Trojans remain just 7.5 points shy of clinching the 150-pound, pewter-gilded trophy presented by the Southern California Lexus Dealers. First serve is at 1:30 p.m.

UCLA (8-1) is unbeaten in four matches at home this season. USC (9-2) is looking for its first win at the Los Angeles Tennis Center since the inception of Lexus Gauntlet play. Last year, the cross-town rivals split two matches worth five Lexus Gauntlet points. USC defeated UCLA 6-1 at Marks Tennis Stadium while the Bruins edged the Trojans 4-3 at the LATC. UCLA leads the all-time series 93-80, including a 10-4 mark in Lexus Gauntlet competition.

On Sunday (Mar. 2), a two-run eighth-inning rally proved to be the difference as third-ranked UCLA defeated USC 4-3 in the championship game of the MLB Urban Invitational at Dedeaux Field. The win gave the Bruins the first 2.5-of-5 available points in baseball. UCLA (5-1) has now won six straight games on the diamond against rival USC (5-3). The two teams will meet again for a three-game Pac-10 series (Apr. 4-6) at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Lexus Gauntlet chase resumes next week in women's tennis and water polo action. On Thursday (Mar. 13), No. 7-ranked USC women's tennis hosts No. 9 UCLA at 1:30 p.m. The Trojans will vie for their sixth straight win in the series. On Friday (Mar. 14), top-ranked UCLA women's water polo travels to No. 4 USC for a 5 p.m. match. Earlier this season UCLA defeated USC, 8-4, to earn the first 2.5 points awarded in the sport.

In six years of the competition, UCLA and USC have alternated winning the Lexus Gauntlet trophy. The Bruins captured the rivalry's crown jewel in 2003, again in 2005 and in 2007. The Trojans won the challenge in 2002, 2004 and 2006. The 150-pound, pewter-gilded Lexus Gauntlet is on display at the UCLA Hall of Fame.

The Southern California Lexus Dealers are proud to be the leading sponsors of both UCLA and USC athletic departments as well as the exclusive title sponsor of every USC-UCLA athletic competition. For more than 80 years, these champion rivals have competed for the ultimate city-wide title of number one. Now, based on the practice of knights who challenged each other to duel by throwing their armored gauntlets to the ground, Lexus has issued the absolute challenge: the Lexus Gauntlet competition.