Trojans Lose to Cal by 3 Points but find a ‘Home’ at Loyola

Quick, somebody call the Sports Arena and book some more ice shows, and put the reservations under “Raveling.” This Loyola Marymount setup might not be so bad for the USC basketball team, after all.

The Trojans, second fiddle at their home court once again, made their first appearance in Southern California since Dec. 13 Friday night and came close to putting California, a favorite to win the Pacific 10 Conference title, on ice.

The Bears were almost in the wrong place themselves, or at least on the wrong end of the score, before holding on to beat upset-minded USC, 79-76, at Gersten Pavilion.

Not only that, but the crowd of 3,215 marked the largest home turnout the Trojans have had all season.

“That was about as good a basketball atmosphere we’ve played in all year,” said Trojan Coach George Raveling.

Raveling had reason to be pleased with his team, too, beginning with the near comeback from a 13-point deficit in the first half. For the final 20 minutes, the Trojans (5-6 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-10) committed just four turnovers and made 6 of 10 three-point shots to draw within three, 76-73, with 20 seconds to play.

But the Trojans were also forced to foul in the final seconds, and Cal responded by hitting five free throws in the final 26 seconds.

Bear Guard Kevin Johnson, who made 12 of 14 shots, scored a career-high 31 points, while center Leonard Taylor added 18 points, and forward Dave Butler had 17.

“We ran out of time there at the end,” said sophomore guard Rich Grande, who connected on 5 of 6 three-pointers to finish with 17 points, his best showing at USC. “We’ll play them again, though. We’ll see them in the second round.”

Said Raveling: “A lot of people think they (Cal) are going to win the league. If they win league, I have to be awfully proud of the way our kids played tonight.

“I think we had a chance to win the game, but we were never able to contain Butler. Johnson, I figured he would get his points. But I certainly didn’t anticipate Butler playing like he did.”

Bob Erbst and Brad Winslow (14 points each) and Ivan Harris (12) also had career-highs for USC.

Cal (9-4, 3-0) came into the game having shot 50% or better from the field just 3 times in its last 12 outings, one of those coming against UC Davis, but the Bears looked very good in the early going this time.

They jumped to an 18-5 lead, Johnson scoring eight, and held a comfortable 40-32 lead after the first 20 minutes, shooting a sizzling 68%. USC had been down by as many as 13 a couple of times and was never closer than six--after a three-point shot by Grande with 3:02 to play--in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

Grande’s shot made it 32-26, but Cal came back to score six of the next eight points to go up by 10, 38-28.

Trojan Notes A decision on whether to redshirt guard Dave Wiltz, a junior transfer from Delgado Community College in New Orleans, may still be a week away, depending on how soon a technical problem relating to his high school transcripts are worked out. Between that and injuries, he has played in only one game, scoring seven points in 18 minutes, after being expected to start. . . . Kevin Johnson, an all-conference guard for Cal last year as a junior, returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game with a pulled hamstring, his third injury this season. Bryant Walton, a freshman from Saddleback High School of Santa Ana, started at the other guard Friday. Coach Lou Campanelli used four different players in the backcourt by halftime. . . . The win gives Cal its best conference start since the 1956-57 season. . . . USC plays host to Stanford Monday, back at the Sports Arena.