USC pulls it together to beat Northern Arizona, 60-52

The Trojans sulked inside their huddle, their double-digit lead whittled away to almost nothing.

Their opponent had momentum and energy, needing only a good second-half push to knock a teetering team over.

Then, a USC captain spoke up.

“It’s time to win,” senior guard Donte Smith told his teammates.

Out of that huddle, Smith did it himself, scoring 14 consecutive points during a game-deciding 14-3 run that gave USC a 60-52 win against Northern Arizona at the Galen Center on Saturday.

“Donte really stepped up for us, which is kind of an understatement,” USC Coach Kevin O’Neill said of his reserve spark plug, who scored a career-high 22 points, eight more than his previous best.

Smith made a three-point jumper, then a layup off a steal, then hit three more three-point shots, the last with a defender in his face.

“I was just feeling it,” said Smith, whose five three-point shots were a career high.

“Donte is that kind of guy,” said junior forward Nikola Vucevic, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his Pacific 10 Conference-leading sixth double-double. “He’s going to come off the bench and hit big shots and get us going.”

USC (6-4) needed a spark at that point.

Northern Arizona (7-3) had just polished off a 13-5 run that cut USC’s lead to three with 9 minutes 27 seconds left in the second half.

After Smith’s run, the Lumberjacks charged back again, but USC held on.

Sophomore guard Gabe Rogers led Northern Arizona with 20 points, including six three-point shots.

O’Neill called it a “huge win” for USC, one that came after an upset of then-No. 19 Texas and before road games against two ranked and unbeaten opponents: Kansas and Tennessee.

“We could’ve easily said, ‘It’s Northern Arizona,’ like we did Rider,” Smith said, referring to USC’s 20-point home loss Nov. 17. “We overlooked them.”

But behind Smith, who came into the game averaging 7.7 points, the Trojans didn’t look beyond the Lumberjacks, a team that had won seven straight.

“We learned our lesson, hopefully, from the Rider game,” O’Neill said. “I tell our guys all the time, if they’re wearing short pants, they can beat you.”

USC’s defense, which has been shaper of late, looked strong early, holding Northern Arizona to 19-first half points, the fewest by a USC opponent this season.

USC finished with a season-high eight blocks and won the rebounding battle (41-29) for the eighth time in 10 games.

O’Neill said he has liked his team’s effort since its consecutive road losses at Nebraska and Texas Christian last month.

“We’re learning our identity a little bit,” he said.

USC’s next game is Saturday at Kansas, a team in the midst of a 64-game home winning streak, and the Trojans should get a boost from freshly eligible junior guard Jio Fontan, who transferred from Fordham.

O’Neill said Fontan, whom he calls USC’s most talented player and its best leader even though he hasn’t played in a game since Nov. 22, 2009, will start.

“And we’re taking him to Kansas and Tennessee to play in front of 22,000 at each place,” O’Neill said. “It will be interesting to see what he does.”

baxter.holmes@latimes.com