It’s No Miner Victory for USC Over Gonzaga

The quest has been for an identity for the USC basketball team.

Harold Miner already had his.

Against Cal State Sacramento on Saturday and St. Louis on Monday, Trojan Coach George Raveling held Miner out for extended periods to see what would happen.

Wednesday, in a 77-60 victory over Gonzaga before 3,251 at Spokane Coliseum, the strategy bore fruit.

Miner was held to six points--one in the second half--and made only two of 13 shots.

Phil Glenn led USC with 16 points, three coming on a shot from the left baseline with 15:19 to play in the game. The field goal gave the Trojans a 45-42 lead they never lost.

“Obviously the effect of having Harold held out for a substantial portion of the last two games has paid off,” Raveling said. “I was very happy with the fact that the rest of the team picked up the slack.”

Only once has Miner scored fewer points: the fourth game of his freshman season, when he had five points against Portland.

Yamen Sanders added 13 points and 13 rebounds for USC. Duane Cooper scored 12 points and Mark Boyd and Rodney Chatman had 10 each for USC (4-1).

“Our bench was fantastic tonight and a real key to our victory,” Raveling said. “Chatman and (Dwayne) Hackett (who had six points) really showed that they could be a big part of our attack.”

Another key was the Trojan defense. The game was tied, 36-36, at halftime and USC clamped down on the Bulldogs in the second half.

After Glenn’s three-pointer gave the Trojans the lead, they went on a 17-5 run over a 6:29 stretch for a 59-47 lead and control of the game.