Trojans Run Into Fired-Up Cougars : College basketball: USC is outplayed from start to finish in 89-59 rout by a Washington State team desperate for victory.

On second thought, maybe a boycott would have been a good thing for USC.

A fired-up Washington State team dominated the Trojans in every phase of the game, turning a 19-point halftime lead into an 89-59 romp Saturday at Friel Court.

It was probably the make or break Pacific 10 Conference game for the Cougars, 11-5 overall, 1-3 in the Pac-10, who were coming off a heartbreaking 81-79 loss to UCLA on Thursday.

There was no doubt which team came to play, even though it was a 12-12 game early before freshman point guard Dominic Ellison ignited a 12-0 run that put the Cougars in complete charge.

Ellison, a teammate of Trojan freshman Stais Boseman at Inglewood High, had extra incentive. He seethed because USC didn’t recruit him. When the rout was on, he ran by the Trojan bench a couple of times shouting, “See, see.”

Although George Raveling said the Trojans (10-3, 3-1) were outplayed in all aspects of the game, they still made a second-half run. Brandon Martin, who had a career-high 23 points, scored seven in a row as the Trojans cut the deficit to 56-45 with 10:35 to play.

But Eddie Hill, a senior from Reseda, made a three-point basket in what turned out to be a five-point play. Lorenzo Orr was called for an elbowing foul as the ball went through the net and David Vik made two free throws.

“That five-point turnaround ended our chances,” Raveling said. “It was even more than that, because it cost us a possession and a chance at two or three points.”

The Trojans, as they did against Washington on Thursday, shot poorly. Except for Martin, who was nine for 19, the Trojans were only 11 for 37 and most of those baskets were from in close.

Part of the problem may be that Burt Harris and Damaine Powell aren’t playing well at the point guard position.

Raveling said he didn’t recruit Ellison because he had two point guards and somebody would be unhappy.

Ellison is benefiting by the presence of veteran guards Hill and Tony Harris. Last season when the Trojans had three senior guards, Harris played well. But now the point guards have to take charge of an inexperienced team.

The Trojans lost at Pullman by 22 points last year and Raveling, who coached here before going to USC, said it happens every year.

“I don’t know why it is,” Raveling said, “but we never play well here. Even when we had Harold (Miner) and went to the NCAA, we were whipped badly here.”

Washington State Coach Kelvin Sampson was still upset about the officiating late in the loss to UCLA and some of his anger appeared to rub off on his players.

They came out ready to play and responded to USC’s challenges.

After a three-pointer by Martin to tie the score, 12-12, Ellison made a basket and two free throws and the Cougars outscored the Trojans, 14-1. The Trojans went almost six minutes without a field goal.

Shortly thereafter, USC’s Claude Green made a three-pointer that triggered a 9-0 Washington State run led by Ellison’s four points.

A second-half three-pointer by Martin was answered by a 12-0 Cougar run.

The Cougars shot 50.8% and were led by senior center Fred Ferguson, who scored 18 points on seven-for-seven shooting.

The Trojans sat in the fog-shrouded Seattle airport for six hours Friday, but Raveling said it had no bearing on the outcome. He also said the commotion about whether the game would be played because of a possible boycott by the Black Coaches Assn. was immaterial.