Trojans Get Shot Down : College basketball: USC makes 34.9% of its shots and Washington State makes 62.5%. The Cougars win, 82-68.

After Washington State stunned eighth-ranked USC, 82-68, Sunday before 6,277 fans at Friel Court, the Cougars’ student rooting section mobbed the players.

Washington State’s fans had every reason to celebrate after the Cougars knocked USC out of a first-place tie with UCLA in the Pacific 10 Conference.

The loss dropped USC, 21-5 overall and 13-3 in the Pac-10, into a second-place tie with Arizona (23-4, 13-3). They are one game behind UCLA (22-4, 14-2), which defeated Washington, 80-79, on Sunday.

The Pac-10 title will be decided in the final week of the season. USC ends its regular season with games against Arizona State on Thursday and Arizona on Saturday at the Sports Arena, and UCLA plays host to Arizona on Thursday and Arizona State Saturday.

Cougar guard Bennie Seltzer, who had 18 points in a reserve role, had more trouble working his way free from the Washington State students than he did from the Trojan defense.

Seltzer hit five of seven three-point shots as Washington State shot a season-high 62.5%. The Cougars, who hit 75% of their three-point shots in the first half, wound up at 61.1% in three-point shooting, hitting 11 of 18.

“The thing that sealed our doom was their three-point shooting,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “They were 11 for 18 on three-point shots, and it’s tough to win unless you can hit an equal amount yourself. And we didn’t shoot the ball well.

“I don’t really believe it was a question of USC playing poorly. I believe it was a question of Washington State playing an outstanding game. I think it said a lot about their team because this was a critical game for them. It was a game they needed to win to get a bid in the (NCAA) tournament. If we had to lose to get a fourth conference team in the tournament, I guess I can live with it.

“As somebody who spent 11 years here, I certainly understand what it’s like to experience these types of games in critical situations,” Raveling continued. “My hat’s off to Washington State. They played a great game. They shot as well from the perimeter as anyone we’ve played this year.”

USC guard Harold Miner, who was averaging 27.3 points, was held to 19, including only four in the second half. Miner, who missed 12 of 17 shots, missed all five of his shots in the second half.

“I didn’t get a lot of (foul) calls I thought I should have gotten,” Miner said. “But that’s just how things went. You really can’t explain it. You just have to move on.

“It’s frustrating when you’re not getting the calls you usually get and the other team is pulling away.”

Washington Coach Kelvin Sampson switched his defense, going from a zone to a man-to-man defense to confuse Miner.

“Miner never knew what defense we were in,” Sampson said. “You’re never going to play perfect, but there’s no reason why you can’t try to play perfect.”

Miner wasn’t the only Trojan who didn’t shot well. USC shot 34.9% as its four-game winning streak ended.

Guard Duane Cooper missed eight of 12 shots, including six of 10 three-point shots. Center Yamen Sanders missed seven of 11 shots, guard Phil Glenn missed all four of his shots and guard Rodney Chatman missed five of seven shots.

After the score was tied, 61-61, with 6:44 remaining when Chatman hit a three-pointer from the right corner, Washington State outscored USC, 21-7. The Trojans missed six of their final seven field goal attempts and had three turnovers down the stretch.

The Cougars’ 21-7 scoring spree began with a 9-0 blitz.

Seltzer, who had six points in the final 6:44, hit a three-pointer to trigger the spurt and then stripped Miner at the other end and set up teammate Terrence Lewis for a layin. After Miner missed an 18-footer, Neil Derrick made a layup.

Raveling took a timeout with 5:30 left to try to halt the run, but Lewis stripped Miner on the Trojans’ next possession, and Derrick made two free throws after he was fouled by USC guard Dwayne Hackett.

“After Seltzer hit that three-point shot, we lost our poise and it gave them momentum to score easy points,” Chatman said.

Lewis had 17 points and Derrick added 14 as Washington State (20-10, 8-9) kept its NCAA hopes alive.

Will beating USC propel Washington State into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1983?

“I hope so,” Sampson said. “If the NCAA tournament is what it says it is, then we should be in. It says it’s the top 64 teams. Well, you name me 63 teams better than Washington State. For that reason, we should be in the 64-team tournament.”