Trojans Give Irish a Fight, Lose by 9

USC put on a good show against Notre Dame Saturday, but still ended up losing, 83-74, before a capacity 11,418 at Notre Dame’s Joyce Center.

“This game was a carbon copy of our season,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “This one was like so many other games we’ve had. We are an unusual team. We’ll give anyone a game, but we fall short in the end.

“We’re like a salesman. We make a good presentation, but we can’t make the close.”

Chris Moore scored 23 points and Andy Pendleton, who made 4 of 10 three-point shots, had 20 points to keep the Trojans in the game.

Moore was coming off a poor performance, when he missed 7 of 10 shots, in USC’s 68-65 loss to UCLA Wednesday night, and didn’t start Saturday.

But he ended up making 10 of 15 shots in 27 minutes. Calvin Banks, who started in place of Moore, played 17 minutes and did not score.

For Notre Dame, Joe Fredrick scored 23, including four free throws in the final minute. Freshman guard Elmer Bennett came off the bench to score 19.

Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps was particularly pleased with Bennett, who played 23 minutes. “He hit some key baskets, including a three-pointer after USC had cut the margin,” he said. “That’s as good a performance as I’ve seen here by a freshman off the bench.”

Freshman LaPhonso Ellis was held to eight points.

The Irish played without starting guard Jamere Jackson, who came down with back spasms Friday night.

Notre Dame is 14-4; USC is 7-16.

Chris Fuller brought the Trojans within three points on a 15-foot shot with 45 seconds left for USC’s final score.

Notre Dame opened double-digit leads three times but couldn’t put away the Trojans.

Free-throw shooting cost the Trojans a chance to tie the game, 70-70, when Moore missed the free throw on what could have been a three-point play, and then Ronnie Coleman missed one of two.

Notre Dame opened a 12-point lead midway through the first half, but the Trojans fought back, outscoring the Irish, 13-3, to get within one on a layup by Alan Pollard. But the Irish scored the final three points of the half to lead, 41-37.

About USC, Phelps said: “They do have some talented athletes, but they just seem to end up in a negative with one key shot or one key play.

“We were fortunate today because Pendleton can hurt you when he gets going. (Chris) Munk is a very physical player who we recruited. And Moore really played well today.”

Still, the Trojans once again came up short.