USC Suffers Another 15-Foot Loss, 79-73 : Trojans: Inability to hit free throws against San Diego State results in : their third defeat of the season.

If the story sounds familiar, it should. USC lost another basketball game Saturday night by the distance between the free-throw line and the basket.

Failure to hit free throws cost the Trojans a 79-73 nonconference loss to San Diego State in front of 3,337 at the San Diego Sports Arena. Again.

The Trojans were outscored, 17-13, at the line even though they had eight more attempts than San Diego State.

“It’s fairly obvious why one team won and one team lost,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “The only thing we as a team and as a staff can do is focus on what has been keeping us from winning, and that principle is foul shooting.”

The loss was the Trojans’ third in their past four games. In all three losses, poor free-throw shooting affected the outcome.

Last week, USC lost by one point at Washington State and by five at Washington. In both games the Trojans shot 50% from the line (19 of 38).

But against San Diego State, they were even worse. They made 13 of 30 free-throw attempts for 43.3% and missed the front of three one-and-one opportunities. That dropped their season total from the line to 62 of 114 (54.4%).

“To be perfectly honest, we should be undefeated,” Raveling said. “If we shoot 70% from the line, then we’re 5-0.”

Instead they are 2-3 and have two weeks to work on their free-throw shooting. The Trojans next play on Dec. 23 against St. Francis (Pa.) at the Sports Arena.

“It isn’t something that is complex or sophisticated,” Raveling said. “It is just unbelievable that in contemporary times a team can shoot better from the field than from the line.”

The Trojans shot 53.7% from the field (29 of 54) compared to 27 of 51 (52.9%) by the Aztecs. But USC’s trouble at the line neutralized that advantage as well as its 36-23 edge in rebounding.

USC also had continued trouble from long range, where it was two for 11 on three-point attempts. The season total is six of 33 (18.2%).

The Aztecs were 17 of 22 from the line and made eight of 19 three-point attempts in winning their fifth in a row. The streak matches San Diego State’s longest since late in the 1984-85 season.

SDSU junior forward Shawn Jamison led all scorers with 22 points.

Forward Ronnie Coleman led USC with 19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He made seven of nine shots from the field but was five of 11 at the line. Guard Harold Miner had 17 points, and forward Calvin Banks 14 on seven of eight shooting.

There were nine lead changes and three ties in the first six minutes of the second half before the Aztecs went ahead for good at 50-49 on a layup by Jamison with 13:51 to play.

San Diego State went on to score 19 of the next 28 points to take its biggest lead at 69-58 with 7:46 remaining. The Trojans got no closer than the final margin.

SDSU, which shot 12 of 28 for 42.9% in the first half, made 12 of its first 16 attempts from the floor in the second half to take its first 11-point lead.

The Aztecs set up their second-half push with a strong first-half finish.

After falling behind by as many as eight points in the first half at 30-22 with 4:29 left; and trailing, 34-27, with 1:41 remaining, the Aztecs rallied. They outscored USC, 7-2, the rest of the half to close to 36-34.

“Coming in close, rather than down a ton, maybe helped us gain this win, given our inexperience,” SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg said. “We scratched and clawed and got back on top in the second half.”