A Long Night in Long Beach for Trojans : West Regional: 49ers dominate USC, 83-58, to advance to semifinal meeting against third-ranked Georgia.

USC, talented but young and inexperienced, aged a little and learned a lot Saturday night at Cal State Long Beach.

The Trojans learned just how tough a fired-up Long Beach team can be on its home court.

The 49ers, well versed in tournament play, sent USC home humbled, if not downright humiliated, with a 83-58 defeat to think about until next season.

The Trojans were verbally hounded by most of the 2,023 in University Gym and physically harassed by their opponents.

They were out-hustled and outshot and beaten on the inside and out.

“There is always somebody in your face, trying to take ball away,” Trojan point guard Tammy Story said. “You try to keep your head in it, but it’s hard.”

Long Beach, with the longest active winning streak in the country at 16 games, will try for 17 against third-ranked Georgia next Thursday in the West Regional semifinals at Las Vegas.

USC, which started two freshmen, concludes its season at 18-12 and 1-1 in its first NCAA tournament since 1988.

Coach Marianne Stanley probably will find little solace in the fact that no USC team--not even the national-championship teams of 1983 and ‘84--have won a game in University Gym.

“I thought we were ready to play and that the players felt comfortable,” Stanley said. “For the first five minutes we were ready, but then over time their experience took over and they got a little more aggressive.”

Long Beach (24-7) opened an 11-point halftime lead and built on that, passing and shooting from all angles.

Guard Dana Wilkerson had a game-high 24 points. Forward Penny Moore was next at 19--11 in the second half--and 10 rebounds.

Long Beach forced 26 Trojan turnovers and stole the ball 14 times. At one point in the second half, the 49ers held USC scoreless for almost five minutes.

“We made no adjustments,” Long Beach Coach Joan Bonvicini said. “We just wanted to play hard, and our pressure eventually got to them.”

USC (18-12) shot only 30%, and the 49ers managed a season-high 60%.

Long Beach not only muscled Lisa Leslie out of position, but put so much pressure on the Trojan guards that they were unable to get the ball to her even when she was open under the basket.

“With the perimeter having difficulty getting the ball in, I was trying to step out and went from there,” Leslie said.

Shooting mostly from the outside, the 6-foot-5 center managed 15 points and finished with nine rebounds.

Forward Molly Keenan led the Trojans with 18 points. Guard Joni Easterly had a game-high 13 boards.

USC did not appear nervous at the outset of the game and started strongly.

Leslie, who got her first foul at 16:39 and finished with her usual four, sparked the Trojans to a 7-0 run--six by Leslie--that gave them a 13-6 lead with 14:35 remaining in the half.

But the 49ers countered with a 7-0 run of their own, including five points by Parriott, who was able to get open inside throughout much of the period.

Parriott and Wilkerson combined for the 49ers’ first 20 points until Kellie Bennett scored with 10 minutes remaining.

Then the pressure began to show on the Trojans. They made bad passes and had trouble with their transition game.

The rest is history.