Off-Court Problems Catch Up With USC

USC’s confusion off the court caught up with the Trojans on the court Thursday night as Arizona State took advantage with a 69-66 Pacific 10 Conference victory before 1,989 at the Sports Arena.

In interim Coach Henry Bibby’s first home game, USC could not overcome 38.3% shooting and 17 turnovers as the Trojans remained winless since the firing of Charlie Parker on Feb. 7.

Ron Riley’s three-point basket with 1:06 remaining and two clutch free throws by Jeremy Veal with 3.7 seconds left helped Arizona State to a 69-66 lead, and USC’s effort to send the game into overtime fell short when Cameron Murray’s 25-foot three-point attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

USC was led by Jaha Wilson, who finished with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double and his 11th of the season. Brandon Martin had 19 points and six rebounds, while David Crouse had 12 and six.

The Trojans have lost four consecutive games and six of their last seven to drop to 11-13 overall and 4-8 in the Pac-10. Arizona State, which lost to the Trojans at Tempe, Ariz., last month, improved to 9-11 and 4-7 despite shooting only 38.5% from the floor and 48.4% from the free-throw line.

“It was a game for us to win,” said Bibby, who was an assistant at Arizona State from 1983-85. “They played well, but we beat ourselves. We made mental mistakes at crucial times of the game that were the difference.”

On a night when USC played without suspended center Avondre Jones and its leading scorer, Stais Boseman, scored only three points and fouled out with 5:14 remaining, the Trojans got off to a strong start behind 10 points by Martin to take a 16-10 lead in the first six minutes.

USC stretched its lead to 28-19 before Arizona State rallied with Quincy Brewer and Rodger Farrington combining for 16 first-half points to take a 37-33 lead by halftime.

Although the Trojans started the second half as they had the first while racing to a 47-42 lead, poor execution in the final nine minutes cost them the game.

“We didn’t execute properly, and we kind of got out of sync,” Martin said. “At times, we didn’t seem to understand what we wanted on certain plays.”

From bad passes and shots to poor transition defense, USC gave the Sun Devils numerous chances down the stretch. However, Arizona State was just as charitable in missing five of six free throws in the final six minutes before Riley’s three-point basket gave the Sun Devils a 66-63 lead.

“Riley hit that big three at the end,” Bibby said. “We gambled on the steal and didn’t get it. All we had to do was play solid defense.”

Veal led Arizona State with 16 points and Riley had 12 and a career-high 13 rebounds.