Niagara Goes Too Far in Bid for 3-Pointers as USC Wins, 69-62

USC Coach George Raveling has been an outspoken critic of the three-point shot since it became part of the entire college basketball structure this season.

And it was the three-point basket that enabled Niagara to make a run at USC in the second half Thursday night after trailing, 34-18, at halftime.

But the Purple Eagles, who made four three-point shots in the second half, began missing from long range in the final minutes, and the Trojans won, 69-62, before a crowd of 2,117 at the Sports Arena.

“The last two minutes of all college games are turning into a circus,” Raveling said. “It’s like a shotputting contest. The three-point shot has turned the game into a farce.”

Raveling said USC does have one advantage at the Sports Arena, where the Clippers also play, in that there are two three-point lines--one for college and one for the pros. “Our opponents don’t seem to know which one is which,” he said.

So it seemed, as some of the Niagara players were firing away from another area code, almost an imaginary six-point line.

In any event, the Trojans evened their record at 3-3, while the Purple Eagles lost for the first time this season and are 3-1.

Forward Derrick Dowell led USC with 18 points, and center Rod Keller had a career-high 16 points. Keller also blocked six shots.

USC made only one three-point basket in three attempts, but it came at a good time as guard Brad Winslow connected with 7:19 left after Niagara had narrowed the gap to 56-46.

The Purple Eagles kept firing away with abandon, though, and cut USC’s lead to seven points twice in the final minutes, but they couldn’t come any closer.

The Trojans might have won by a more substantial margin, but they missed on the front end of three one-and-one attempts in the closing minutes.

It was the second game of a three-game home stand for USC. The Trojans lost to San Jose State, 57-56, Tuesday night and will play Western Washington Saturday afternoon.

USC opened the season with four-games on the road, getting a split. “It was an awfully tough road trip, and I don’t want to make any excuses, but our guys are just mentally whipped,” Raveling said.

He also said that practice time has been limited at the Sports Arena and he can’t always get his entire team together because of final examinations.

“We need as many wins as we can get and we need some quality practice time,” Raveling said. “If we can get in a good week of practice, we’ll be ready for Washington State and Washington (conference openers on the road Dec. 20 and 23). But we won’t be ready for UCLA, Arizona or Cal. We may never be ready for them.”

As for Niagara, Coach Andy Walker was gratified that his team, led by Alex Agudio’s 19 points, made a comeback in the second half while playing on an unfamiliar court after a long trip West.

The Purple Eagles are members of the North Atlantic division of the East Coast Athletic Conference, and Walker believes they will be a factor in league play.

Perhaps, they won’t be so confused about the three-point line in their own area. They missed on 9 of 13 three-point shots Thursday night, sometimes cheating themselves by casting off from 25 feet or farther. The college line is a cozy 19 feet 9 inches.

Trojan Notes USC Coach George Raveling said that Mike Canada, a 6-foot 9-inch freshman forward who redshirted last season, has quit the team. “He asked me how much playing time he was going to get and I had to be honest with him,” Raveling said. “I said that Bob Erbst, Chris Munk and Allen Pollard would be playing ahead of him.” . . . Pollard, a transfer from BYU, is redshirting this season, but his brother, 7-2 Carl Pollard, is an active reserve. Canada hasn’t played in a game this season.