Trojan Youth Coming of Age? : College basketball: Orr and Martin lead the way, but freshmen also contribute in 75-56 victory over San Diego State.

The USC youth movement took another step toward respectability Tuesday night with a 75-56 rout over San Diego State before a crowd of 3,186 at the Sports Arena.

After struggling with inconsistent play in winning two of their first three games, the Trojans relied largely on the scoring of Lorenzo Orr and Brandon Martin to play their best game of the season.

Orr, a 6-foot-7 junior, got USC off to a fast start with 18 first-half points as the Trojans took a 41-28 halftime lead.

USC then used a 13-2 run to start the second half and coasted to their third consecutive victory to improve to 3-1.

“The best thing about this game was that we showed substantial growth,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “We gave indication that we can come together and become a cohesive unit on both ends of the floor.”

Orr continued with his hot shooting from the field as he made eight of 13 shots, along with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Orr finished with a game-high 21 points, plus eight rebounds. In four games, he is shooting 63.7%.

“Lorenzo Orr’s outside shooting surprised us,” San Diego State Coach Tony Fuller said. “We went to the zone to try and stop them inside. Orr has improved his game. He’s a big-time player.”

Freshman Jaha Wilson, a 6-6 forward, scored only four points in his first start of the season for the Trojans, but he had eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

“I was just waiting for a chance to show them that I play better when I start the game,” said Wilson, who made two of three shots from the floor. “I tried to let the game flow to me and grab rebounds.”

Said Raveling: “I just had a suspicion that (Wilson) did not play well off the bench and he didn’t do anything tonight that would make me not start him.”

Avondre Jones was another freshman who showed promise, getting six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.

Including Stais Boseman and Claude Green, USC freshmen combined for 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Martin, a sophomore guard, gave USC a lift from the outside by making six of eight shots and finishing with 16 points.

“I’m gaining more confidence shooting behind the three-point line,” said Martin, who also had a career-high five assists. “That’s what we need because we lost that from last season and I need to fill that role.”

Damaine Powell came off the bench for a game-high six assists. USC also had a season-low 12 turnovers.

“Part of our problem had been running guys in and out,” Raveling said.

“We made a conscious effort to look at the five guys we had on the floor at the same time. I felt it was important to get ourselves in position to get continuity.”

San Diego State (2-2) was led by Courtie Miller’s 15 points.

Next, the Trojans will play host to Notre Dame Saturday at the Sports Arena.