A Duck Call Hurts Trojans in 86-84 Loss : USC: Raveling calls it good officiating after one referee overrules another, sending Oregon’s Brandon to free throw line for three shots in closing seconds.

Oregon guard Terrell Brandon knew that he’d been fouled as soon as he launched the three-point shot with 12 seconds left in Thursday night’s Pacific 10 game against USC, which trailed, 85-84.

Referee Tom Harrington was standing next to Brandon, but he didn’t call a foul on Trojan guard Harold Miner, who had hit Brandon as he went up.

The crowd of 7,554 at McArthur Court began to berate the officials as Trojan guard Robert Pack worked the ball upcourt after Brandon’s miss.

However, referee Ron Richardson halted play and overruled Harrington, calling a foul on Duane Cooper, who was nowhere near Brandon when he shot, and awarded Brandon three free throws, because he had been fouled on a three-point attempt.

After missing the first two, Brandon sank the last shot with 10 seconds left to give the Ducks an 86-84 victory over the Trojans.

USC called time to set up a final play. Instead of running a play for Miner, who had 23 points, the Trojans raced the ball upcourt and set up Cooper for a three-point jump shot from the corner with five seconds left. Forward Clyde Jordan blocked the shot, but USC forward Yamen Sanders got the rebound and missed a tip-in at the buzzer.

“We knew they were going to press us and we had to just take the first open shot we could,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “We were going to try to spot Miner, Pack and Cooper behind the three-point line. Cooper was open. It was just a great block. We still got another shot. Fate just wasn’t with us.”

The Trojans, 9-6 overall and 1-5 in the Pacific 10, have lost four of their six conference games by four points or less. Although USC has had chances to win or tie in all of the games, they haven’t been able to come through.

“I don’t know what else we can do,” Raveling said. “It’s a disappointment that we lose these close games. But we sure as hell aren’t trying to do it. I don’t know how you explain it.”

Although USC lost two seconds in the mix-up over the foul, Raveling didn’t argue the delayed foul call.

“I thought it was good officiating,” Raveling said. “I have no problem with that call because Brandon was fouled on the play. I’d like to think that if we were in a similar situation, the officials would have dealt with it in the manner in which they did.”

Harrington explained: “The official on the play (talking about himself) was watching the feet and he got too close to make the call. The out official (Richardson) came across and made the call. It was the right call because it was a foul. The bottom line is that’s what three-man officiating is all about.”

Leading by 12 points early in the second half, the Trojans seemed on their way to their second consecutive victory. But they collapsed as their offense got out of sync.

“It was a difficult game to lose, but we did,” Raveling said.

Pack, who had 14 points in the first half and finished a career-high 24, didn’t score a point in the last 9 1/2 minutes as Oregon (8-8, 3-3) used a triangle-and-two defense to neutralize Pack and Miner, who missed 10 of 17 shots.

USC, which led, 76-72, after Miner made two free throws with 8:09 left, scored only eight points the rest of the game.

After the Trojans failed to score on three consecutive trips down the court, Oregon took its first lead of the second half as Brandon sank a three-point shot with 7:36 left and center Bob Fife hit a jump shot in the key with 6:40 remaining.

The Trojans cut it to 79-78 when Miner hit a jump shot with 4:53 left, but the Ducks scored four consecutive points as guard Jordy Lyden followed a miss by Fife and Brandon made two free throws with 3:10 left.

USC again cut it to one point with two minutes left on a dunk by Sanders and two free throws by Miner.

After Lyden tipped in a miss by Fife with 1:43 left, Sanders hit a follow shot with 59 seconds left to pull the Trojans within 85-84.

The Ducks called time with 46 seconds left to set up a play. Oregon worked the clock down to 12 seconds before going to Brandon, who scored 30 points. Miner hacked his arm as he went up and it appeared that the Trojans got a break when Harrington didn’t call the foul. But, as things turned out, Oregon got the break.

“I felt there was contact made and he called the foul,” Brandon said. “I guess a got a break for talking to him (Richardson) in warmups.”

After Brandon missed the second of three free throws, Sanders walked over to him and told him to keep missing, but Brandon, who scored 30 or more points for the sixth time this season, made the final free throw.

It was the Ducks’ ninth consecutive victory over USC, including six by two points or less.