Carlander Rates a 10 in USC’s 69-62 Win

On a scale of 10, USC Coach Stan Morrison says his team is only about a 4 now, and that it must improve.

Morrison made his evaluation after USC beat Washington State, 69-62, Saturday afternoon at Cal State Dominguez Hills in a game that was somewhat ragged and sloppy at times.

But don’t include USC forward Wayne Carlander in any negative evaluation. He scored a season-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting and also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Carlander, a four-year starter, also became USC’s No. 4 all-time leading scorer with 1,251 points, moving ahead of Purvis Miller (1,247).

The Trojans needed Carlander’s offense because wingman Ron Holmes, who brought a 17.2 average into the game as USC’s leading scorer, played only 18 minutes and contributed only two points while shooting one for seven from the field.

There were a total of 32 turnovers in the game--19 by WSU and 13 by USC. “It was not an artistic game from any perspective,” Morrison said. “Both teams struggled.”

USC had a 10-point lead, 54-44, with 5:40 remaining, but Washington State closed to 58-54 with 2:29 to play.

Then, USC forward Derrick Dowell scored on a scoop shot and, a few seconds later, came down with a rebound. He fired a perfect pass to point guard Larry friend, who went in for an uncontested layup with 1:53 left.

This gave USC an eight-point cushion, and Washington did not threaten again.

So the Trojans are now 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the Pacific 10. WSU, which brought a nine-game winning streak to Los Angeles, is 10-4 and 2-2, after losing to both UCLA and USC.

The Cougars are playing shorthanded. There are only nine players on the traveling squad. Guard Chris Winkler was hurt in a sledding accident, reserve center Ken Matha was left home with the flu, and two freshman, Brian Quinnett and John Hodges, also are injured.

“Two of our guys had to go 40 minutes,” said WSU Coach Len Stevens, referring to forward Joe Wallace and 7-foot center Todd Anderson. “Down the stretch, we couldn’t afford to strategically foul anyone because we couldn’t afford to lose anybody.”

The Trojans led, 27-25, at halftime, and Carlander, who was starting his 99th consecutive game, had 16 of his team’s points. The rest of the shooters were only 5 for 21 from field.

USC played one of its worst games of the season in losing to Washington, 66-50, Thursday night. The Trojans performed better Saturday, especially in the second half, but Morrison still is concerned.

“We just have to get better,” he said. “We can’t have guys not ready to play. That’s inexcusable.”

He wouldn’t identify anyone, but it seemed obvious that he was distressed by Holmes’ performance.

Morrison kept Holmes and Dowell out of the game for a long stretch in the first half, but Dowell came back to make a contribution in the second half.

On a positive note, Morrison is getting more out of 6-10 center Clayton Olivier this season. He is more agile and aggressive, is rebounding more effectively and doesn’t seem to be bothered by the foot injuries that have plagued him during his USC career.

Olivier finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and pulled down six rebounds. Friend also scored 12.

“I think the key to the game was our rebounding (USC outrebounded WSU, 37-25) and defense in the second half,” Morrison said.

Morrison also praised Carlander for limiting Wallace, WSU’s leading scorer, to only two baskets in the second half. Wallace, from Santa Clara High in Oxnard, scored 15 points, six below his average.

Carlander was getting inside to score on high-percentage jump shots and the Cougars couldn’t shut him down.

“He’s an intelligent player who doesn’t do anything that he isn’t capable of doing,” Stevens said. “He also uses his body well.”

If the Trojans are to be a factor in the Pac-10 race, they’ll need consistent performances from Carlander, Dowell, Friend, Oliver and Holmes. They’re not that talented that they can win while one or two players are in a slump.

Carlander isn’t sure how high USC will finish in the Pac-10. “A whole lot of teams are not beating each other by a whole lot of points now,” he said.

More will be known about the Trojans after an Arizona trip next week. USC meets Arizona Thursday night in Tucson and Arizona State Saturday afternoon in Tempe.