Trojans End Regular Season With Another Frustrating Loss

Ryan Drew scored a season-high 21 points, including four three-point field baskets, to lead California to a 74-62 Pacific 10 victory over USC Saturday in the last regular-season game for both teams.

Cal, finishing the season 19-11 overall and 10-8 in the conference, trailed, 49-48, with 9:50 left in the game. But the Golden Bears went on a 14-5 run to take a 62-54 lead with 5:31 remaining.

The Trojans, 9-21 overall and 2-16 in the Pac-10, cut the deficit to 62-58 with 4:31 left. The Golden Bears, who finished fifth in the conference, scored the next nine points for a 71-58 lead, with 1:09 remaining in the game.

“I’m certainly delighted to finish the season with a win,” Cal Coach Lou Campanelli said. “USC is a tough team, and I mean that. They’ve played everyone tough this season, and all their conference games have been close.

“This team shows a lot of character. When USC came back late in the first half and a couple times in the second, we were patient on offense. That’s a good sign.”

For Trojan Coach George Raveling, it was just the latest in a series of frustrating defeats.

“We’ve been consistently inconsistent this season,” Raveling said. “It’s been the strangest season I have ever been involved in. It seens like our play fluctuates every five minutes.

“We did do a great job of getting back in the game. Our last timeout before the half, I told our guys we could tie it up before the half, and we almost did.

“Drew. . . .well, we know he can shoot. He’s hot and cold. Today he was hot. Cal didn’t do anything we didn’t expect them to do. It’s just that they played a good game.”

Cal’s Keith Smith broke the school’s single-season assist record with nine against the Trojans, giving him 179. Kevin Johnson, now with the Phoenix Suns, held the previous mark with 175 assists set in 1986.