USC Rally Goes to Waste

PULLMAN, Wash. —  It was as predictable as a February snowstorm in the Palouse, USC folding down the stretch and losing another Pacific 10 Conference game.

Yet, while the Trojans showed some signs of fight as they went down -- even interim Coach Jim Saia was assessed a technical foul -- the result, and explanations, were the same after the Trojans fell to Washington State, 61-53, in front of 4,926 at Friel Court on Saturday.

“We couldn’t get stops,” Saia said softly. “Our guys fought.... I’m proud of the way they played.”

At least until the final four-plus minutes of the game. Just as in previous losses to Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford and UCLA.

USC, which trailed by 10 points late in the first half, rallied to tie the score, 49-49, on a Nick Young runner with 4:57 remaining in regulation.

“Once we tied, we relaxed and stopped doing what got us there,” forward Gregg Guenther said.

Meaning the Trojans became lackadaisical on defense and tentative when they had the ball.

Sound familiar?

After Young’s basket, Cougar guard Jeff Varem backed Guenther into the post and tried a spin move on the baseline. Guenther appeared to cleanly swipe the ball, but a whistle was blown and a foul called on Derrick Craven, who was not near the play.

Saia jumped from his seat and tore off his jacket, immediately getting slapped with the technical by referee Ken Ditty.

Washington State made two of the four resultant free throws, and while USC would make only one field goal the rest of the way, the Cougars’ shots began dropping like the snowflakes that were falling outside.

Cougar freshman Robbie Cowgill, a 6-foot-10, 190-pound center who makes the Trojans’ Rory O’Neil look like Mr. Universe, then scored, finishing a perfect five-for-five from the field. And after Guenther missed a free throw, he was called for an over-the-back violation trying to rebound the missed shot.

Thomas Kelati made one of two free throws with 3:21 to play before Derrick Low essentially ended the game by burying a long three-point basket from the top of the key, putting Washington State up, 57-50, with 2:27 remaining.

“Once we get on the same page, we’ll start winning games,” said point guard Gabe Pruitt, who led USC with 10 points. “We can’t pull it out. It’s on us.

“On defense, we’d just jog back and they’d get open layups and threes.”

Pruitt had been harassed by the Cougars’ aggressive man defense but gave the Trojans hope when he made a three-pointer from deep in the right corner at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 31-25 at the half.

“They got back in it at halftime and the first five minutes of the second half belonged to them, so at that point I knew it was going to go to the wire,” Washington State Coach Dick Bennett said. “I was very upset about that, not to take credit from them.”

Washington State, which has won four games in a row against USC for the first time since the 1976 and 1977 seasons, improved to 5-6 in Pac-10 play, 10-10 overall. The Cougars did not get an offensive rebound and were led by Varem’s 11 points and nine rebounds.

USC (2-9, 9-13) committed 17 turnovers and allowed the Cougars to shoot 55.3% from the field.

“If I ever get another head coach job I’ll be better defensively,” Saia said. “Because we are absolutely horrible on defense.”