Trojans Lose Track of Time in Loss : USC: Nobody asks officials to stop the clock after Oregon takes 66-65 lead with four seconds left in the game.

USC’s basketball team should devote part of its workouts next week to practicing how to call time out.

This is how it’s done: You extend one hand and put the other hand on top to form a “T.”

Got that, guys?

The Trojans’ inability to call a timeout after Oregon guard Terrell Brandon made an eight-foot jumper with four seconds left cost them a 66-65 loss to the Ducks Saturday at the Sports Arena.

USC didn’t have a clue on the final play of the game.

Although the Trojans had one timeout remaining, it was wasted after Brandon made the game-winner. Forward Ronnie Coleman inbounded the ball to center Chris Munk under the Oregon basket, but the buzzer sounded before the Trojans called time.

“I think it’s sad that we didn’t understand that all five players in a situation like that should be going to the official to call timeout,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “I learned that in eighth grade in CYO ball. I would suggest that you certainly don’t have to coach that at this level.

“I can remember my CYO coach telling me you always run to the official’s face and call timeout. We should have five guys calling timeout. But we’re a little gun-shy. We’re like a guy in a rough neighborhood and a guy comes up behind him and puts his hand on his shoulder ready to say hello and he jumps and puts his hands up because he thinks it’s a holdup.

“But I’m not sure it would have made a significant difference. It would have given us one more shot. I think it might have given us a last-ditch chance to pull off a miraculous win.”

The Trojans’ best option would have been to call time and set up a desperation shot by guard Harold Miner, who scored 20 points. That certainly would have been a higher percentage play that Munk dribbling out the clock to end the game.

Munk and Coleman said they were confused because of the din from the Oregon fans in the crowd of 1,478.

“There was a lot of noise in there, but I should have known better,” Munk said. “I should have called a timeout regardless of whether the buzzer went off or not. It should have been an instant reaction on my part.

“I’m not making any excuses. I should have called a timeout regardless of whether time ran out or not. I should have called it anyway, even if there was .1 seconds on the clock I should have called it.”

Coleman said: “I should have called a timeout at the end, but I didn’t. I thought time had run out because there was so much noise in there I really couldn’t hear whether (the buzzer) sounded or not.”

USC guard Rodney Chatman, who was at the other end of the court, said he tried to verbally call timeout, but referee Bob Garibaldi, positioned under the Oregon basket, said he didn’t see anyone signal for a timeout.

“I’m looking at Munk and Coleman and they didn’t say a thing to me,” Garibaldi said. “Afterward Raveling said to me that someone, I think Robert Pack (it was actually Chatman) called a timeout to one of the other officials at the other end. I went up and asked both of them and they both said ‘no.’ ”

Enraged, Raveling went after the officials at the end of the game.

“Chatman is the only one who called timeout at the end,” Raveling said. “He was near our foul circle. I can’t blame the officials, even if I went after them in all of my emotion.”

Was Oregon Coach Don Monson surprised that USC didn’t use its final timeout?

“I’m not too sure they didn’t call it,” Monson said. “I just don’t know if the officials saw it or not. Apparently they didn’t. I don’t fault their kids at all. I think they were trying to get a timeout. At least, that’s what my kids said.

“You can make a little bit more of that. The most they’d have had (to get off a shot) was three seconds and the ball’s clear down in the back court. What can you do? Miracles happen but you’ve got to be realistic. The game was won or lost with Terrell’s shot. The rest of it is speculation.”

Trailing 64-63, USC took a 65-64 lead when Calvin Banks tipped in a missed free throw by Miner with 1:16 remaining. The Ducks called a timeout with 58 seconds left to set up a play, but Brandon missed a jumper and Miner rebounded with 43 seconds remaining.

Oregon got another chance when Pack missed the front end of a one-and-one with 31 seconds left. The Ducks ran the same play they did on their previous possession and this time Brandon made the shot.

“They had designed a play for me to go one-on-one to take Pack who was guarding me,” Brandon said. “And I buried the shot.”

And he buried USC (6-10, 1-8), again mired in last place in the Pac-10.

But Raveling hasn’t given up hope.

“Whatever people’s opinions, I’m going to try and stay positive and see if we can’t turn this thing around,” Raveling said. “I took an article out of the Boston Globe on the Steelers. They got beat, 51-0, in the first game and 41-10 in the second and then they just kind of gradually worked their way back in and before you knew it they were back in the playoffs. I gave the kids that article to read because they have to understand that (the Steelers) had bad things written about them too and they came back. We have to find a way to turn this thing around.”

A good starting point to turning around the season might be working on learning how to call time.

Trojan Notes

Kevin Mixon scored 20 points, hitting eight of 14 shots, including four three-point shots, to help Oregon (10-8, 5-4) win its first road game in seven tries. . . . After making 31 consecutive free throws, USC center Chris Munk missed one in the first half.