Good or Bad, Payton Is Too Much for Trojans : His Shooting Is Off, but He Helps Oregon State Keep USC Winless in Pac-10

After scoring 17 points and getting 11 assists in a 74-65 victory over USC Thursday night at the Sports Arena, Oregon State guard Gary Payton was asked to evaluate himself.

“I think we all played bad, especially me,” Payton said. “I played terrible.”

Payton, the leading scorer in the Pacific 10 Conference, was as cold as an Alaskan night, missing 10 of 15 shots.

George Raveling, USC coach, thought Payton was too hard on himself.

“I didn’t think Payton played terrible,” Raveling said. “Maybe he said that because he didn’t shoot well.

“I think Gary Payton is a great player. He’s taken average players and made a great team out of them. If he did play a bad game, he did contribute in other areas.

“I would have liked a trade tonight. He could have played for me. The reality of it is, put him on either team and that team wins.”

The struggling Trojans, who fell to 7-13 overall and 0-9 in the Pacific 10 Conference and have lost nine straight, certainly could have used Payton, one of the nation’s best point guards.

Guard Anthony Pendleton, USC’s leading scorer, was hampered by a back injury, which limited him to just 4 minutes. With Pendleton sidelined, the Trojans lacked firepower.

Rich Grande started in place of Pendleton, and Raveling made two other lineup changes in an effort to pump some life into the Trojans. Alan Pollard replaced Chris Munk at center, and guard Andy Olivarez started in place of forward Chris Moore.

“I just decided that at this point in the season, we have to do something different,” Raveling said.

But the revamped Trojans didn’t play any better than the old-look Trojans.

USC was unable to handle Oregon State’s pressure defense. The Trojans had 21 turnovers and forced just 3.

With the score tied, 48-48, USC committed 7 turnovers in its next 9 possessions.

Raveling said: “I feel bad for you guys (the media). It must challenge your literary ability to keep writing these stories, just as it challenges my coaching ability.

The Beavers (14-4, 7-3), playing without forward Will Brantley, who was out with the flu and bronchitis, looked inconsistent against the Trojans.

“I didn’t know how we’d play without Will,” Oregon State Coach Ralph Miller said. “Sometimes we played well and sometimes we played bad. We didn’t have any consistency. We would get up by 10 and then they would come right back. And I’m not talking about once, but four or five times.

“I think we’ll need Will back (for Sunday’s game at UCLA). We need his experience. Hopefully, he’ll be back by Sunday.”

Earl Martin, who started in place of Brantley, had 14 points and 6 rebounds, and guard Eric Knox had 17 points.

Trojan Notes

Forward Ronnie Coleman led USC with 18 points and 8 rebounds and Chris Moore had 16 points off the bench. Guard Tyrone Fuller had 11 points. Oregon State Coach Ralph Miller, who is ending his 38-year coaching career, was honored in a pregame ceremony. USC gave Miller a trip to San Diego, a record album of the Trojan band and a videotape of the USC song girls. Miller also received his 666th victory. . . . The Trojans play Oregon Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Sports Arena.