Winning Isn’t Everything

The USC locker room was full of serious faces, a solemn coach, players trying to explain what happened.

A loss? Not quite.

The Trojans defeated St. Bonaventure, 91-82, before 2,070 at the Sports Arena Monday night, but apparently that wasn’t enough. Not for a team that led by 25 points with six minutes remaining.

“When you have people down like that, you need to keep them down,” USC guard Elias Ayuso said. “You need to keep that nail in the coffin.”

Perhaps it is a sign of how far the Trojans have come since last season’s 9-19 record. With a revamped squad and a 4-0 start, simply outscoring an opponent doesn’t do the trick anymore.

“I told the team we have to play 40 minutes of basketball,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We stopped with six minutes to go and didn’t follow our game plan and that kept them in the game.”

St. Bonaventure (2-3), which reached the NIT last season, arrived without three of its top players. Forward Terrence Durham sprained his knee last week and guards Tim Winn and Isaac King were suspended. Still, the Bonnies showed they had talent in reserve when center Caswell Cyrus blocked USC’s first shot and guard David Capers outraced everyone for a dunk at the other end of the court.

USC couldn’t seem to stop Capers, who scored a game-high 19 points, from getting to the basket. He and his teammates looked quicker than the Trojans in the early going, forcing turnovers, then running the fastbreak or driving the baseline from their half-court offense.

“We were giving them too many layups and dunks,” USC forward Jarvis Turner said. “That’s not our game plan.”

That’s when USC called in the artillery.

Adam Spanich, Jeff Trepagnier and Brandon Granville made three-point shots to build a 42-31 lead just before halftime. When that threesome continued to score from long-range in the second half, the lead widened to 82-57.

“USC got some confidence,” St. Bonaventure Coach Jim Baron said. “They made big plays and forced us to make shots.”

The three-point shots were a familiar sight, one of the few things that went right for the Trojans last season. But the team also showed it has bolstered its game in other ways.

The defense eventually settled down and kept the Bonnies away from the basket. On offense, all that outside shooting opened up the lane, allowing Turner work his way inside for 16 points. Center Brian Scalabrine got involved too with 15 points.

“They were playing a lot of zone,” Turner said. “We had to adjust to their game.”

But just as the Trojans seemed ready to blow out St. Bonaventure, Bibby substituted for Scalabrine, Granville and Trepagnier. With his starters on the bench, the double-digit lead began to melt.

“The last six minutes, we were really lax,” said Spanich, who scored 18 points. “That shouldn’t happen.”

Capers made a couple of jump shots. Guard J.R. Bremer got a chunk of his 18 points on two three-point baskets from the top of the key. The game was never truly in jeopardy, but you couldn’t tell that from the Trojans’ somber mood afterward.

Bibby was left to talking about this game as a learning experience. His players were shaking their heads.

“It’s upsetting,” Ayuso said. “It was an ugly win.”

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Fast Starts

USC has started 4-0 only 12 other times since 1950. A look at the Trojans’ overall record each season they started 4-0:

1951: 21-6

1952: 16-14

1953: 17-5

1954: 19-14

1957: 16-12

1959: 15-11

1963: 20-9

1971: 24-2

1975: 18-8

1976: 12-15

1980: 12-15

1989: 10-22