Trojans Press Right Button to Win, 91-83

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — USC forward Jaha Wilson’s sweat-drenched uniform said it all about the Trojans’ 91-83 comeback victory over Southern Methodist in the first round of the Seton Hall/Meadowlands basketball tournament Wednesday night.

“When we came out of the locker room for the second half, we knew that we had to leave our hearts out on the floor if we were going to win,” Wilson said of the seven-point halftime deficit. “It’s all about attitude, and we didn’t want to be a team that traveled all this way to lose.”

Thanks to their full-court trapping press, which helped force SMU into 20 turnovers, the Trojans rallied behind Wilson’s 21 points, 16 rebounds and two blocked shots to advance to tonight’s championship game against Seton Hall, which defeated Lehigh, 90-59, in the other first-round game.

USC, which rose above .500 for the first time this season at 5-4, shot 65.4% from the field in the second half and had five players score in double figures.

Executing Coach Charlie Parker’s up-tempo attack, the Trojans wore down SMU after struggling against the Mustangs’ outside shooting for the first 20 minutes.

SMU took a 47-40 halftime lead behind former Manual Arts High standout Troy Matthews and Jemeil Rich, who combined for 28 points--including seven of the Mustangs’ eight three-pointers.

In the second half, however, the Trojans caught SMU by surprise with their press, outscoring the Mustangs, 20-5, in the first six minutes.

“We tried to save our press until the second half, so that they wouldn’t have time to make adjustments,” Parker said. “We used it a little in the first half and saw that it gave them some problems. We backed off, so we could make our run in the second half.”

The strategy worked to perfection as USC turned the game into a track meet. With 10 minutes remaining, the Trojans were ahead, 71-57, before SMU rallied briefly at the finish.

“We just didn’t handle the press at the start of the second half,” SMU Coach John Shumate said. “We were on our heels for the rest of the game.”

In easily their best game of the season so far, the Trojans received a huge boost off the bench from sophomore Stais Boseman, making his debut after being academically ineligible for the first six weeks of the season.

“He brings excitement to the team,” Parker said of Boseman, who had 15 points, five assists and five steals in 23 minutes. “His play inspires everyone to play harder. His return means so much because the players see him making plays, and they go out and try to do the same.”

USC’s scoring balance was a major factor. Lorenzo Orr, who brought the Byrne Arena crowd of 9,734 to its feet with three spectacular dunks, scored 18 points. Burt Harris had 15 points and five steals, Brandon Martin 11 points and eight rebounds. Claude Green scored seven points as a reserve.

“We got the players to win,” said Wilson, who had his third double-double this season in points and rebounds. “If we play every game like we played the second half, we will be all right.”

Matthews and Rich led SMU with 21 points apiece.