This Time, USC Gets Arizona State on the Run, 73-54

Stan Morrison had not won a Pacific 10 game here against Arizona State in his five previous seasons as USC’s coach.

The Trojans not only lost to the Sun Devils, but they were usually blown off the court.

The wind was blowing in the other direction Saturday afternoon as USC routed Arizona State, 73-54, before a crowd of 4,953 at the Activities Center.

USC broke open the game early in the second half with its running game. That’s right, the Trojans are a fast-break team at times this season, although that’s not their general image.

So the Trojans got a sweep in Arizona, beating the Wildcats, 64-63, Thursday night and then running away from the Sun Devils.

Five teams were tied for second place in the conference with 2-1 records at the start of the week. The logjam has been broken up.

USC and Washington share second place, each with 4-1 records. Oregon State is the league leader at 4-0.

The Trojan record is more impressive when you consider that they’re 3-0 on the road in conference competition. They’re 10-4 overall, and one more win would equal their total (11-20) for the entire 1983-84 season.

“USC is a legitimate contender for the championship at this time,” said ASU Coach Bob Weinhauer. “They’re as good as anybody we’ve played.”

Arizona State hasn’t met Oregon State and Washington, the conference’s preseason favorites, but that doesn’t detract from Weinhauer’s appraisal of the Trojans.

And it’s likely that USC will improve its record to 6-1. The Trojans meet California next Saturday afternoon and Stanford next Monday night at the Sports Arena. The Bears and Cardinal are languishing in the second division of the Pac-10.

Wayne Carlander, an all-Pac-10 forward, led USC with 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting. He scored from the outside, on fast-break layups and offensive rebounds.

Wingman Ron Holmes supported Carlander with 16 points, and guard Glenn Smith came off the bench to get 14 (8 of 11 from the free-throw line) when Larry Friend got into foul trouble.

“Before we left on this trip, Coach Morrison wrote the word ‘split’ on a blackboard,” Friend said. “That seemed to bother Ronnie Holmes and he erased it and wrote ‘two wins on the road.’ ”

This has been a particularly difficult place for USC to win. The Trojans had previously lost seven of nine here in addition to five straight.

Morrison didn’t want to use the word “blowout” in reference to his team’s win.

“In the last five years we’ve been here it seemed that there was a lid on the basket for us in the second half,” he said. “They found the lid instead today.”

Arizona State shot only 30.3% in the second half, 32.1% for the game. USC shot 53.5% in the second half and 47.2% overall.

The Sun Devils, now 7-8 and 2-3, were regarded at the outset of the season as a team that could possibly challenge Oregon State and Washington.

ASU was in the game at halftime, trailing only 27-25, but the second half belonged to USC.

The Trojans moved away from the Sun Devils when Holmes scored on a drive, Carlander got two, fast-break layups, forward Derrick Dowell (who had 12 rebounds) added a free throw and Carlander came back with a 17-foot shot off the glass.

USC had a 10-point lead, 39-29, with this spurt with almost 15 minutes left in the game. USC continued to build on its lead and led by 20, with 1:27 left.

Arizona State had size to offset USC on the front line and it seemed imperative that the Trojans would have to rely on 6-10 center Clayton Olivier.

But Olivier got his fourth foul at the start of the second half and sat down, never to return. He played only five minutes but, as it turned out, he wasn’t needed.

Charlie Simpson filled in commendably for Olivier and blocked three shots. Smith became USC’s quarterback when Friend got his fourth foul with 9:26 left and was inactive for five minutes. Still, Friend finished with 10 assists. He’s the conference leader in that department.

“It’s not a fluke that we won in Arizona,” Morrison said. “The players really earned it. We worked them hard in a two-hour practice last night.”

Carlander said the key to the game was better defensive rebounding the second half, providing USC with fast break opportunities.

Arizona State out-rebounded USC, 18-12, in the first half but the Trojans won the overall battle of the boards, 35-33.

USC seemed to catch Arizona napping by fast-breaking and ASU was slow getting back on defense in the second half when the Trojans were running.

“When you look at Olivier, Dowell and Carlander, you wouldn’t think we could run that much,” Morrison said. “These are plow-horses. But, if you’re not fast, you run as hard as you can and slow guys are faster when there is the potential for daylight.”

Holmes, of course, can fly, and the 5-11 Friend is quick.

USC had eight-point leads twice in the first half, but Arizona State almost caught up.

“They were in a half-court press and we spread them out, trying to tire them,” Morrison said. “But we didn’t attack from the spread court as we should have.”

USC didn’t get a basket the last eight minutes of the first half.

Weinhauer said he was pleased with the way his team played in the first half, but that the ball wouldn’t go down in the second half even though the Sun Devils had some good shots.

“The second half belonged to Southern Cal,” Weinhauer said. “They’re an excellent, mature and intelligent team.”

Asked about his team’s fast start, especially on the road, in league play this season, Morrison said:

“It’s nice to be 4-1, but we’ve still got a long ways to go (13 more conference games).”