USC Enjoys Final Appetizer Against Arkansas State

Like a bloated uncle stuffing one last forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, USC has concluded the feasting portion of its season.

For the better part of two months, the Trojans have gobbled up nonconference opponents the likes of San Diego State and Loyola Marymount, fattening their record for the long, hard Pacific 10 Conference schedule to come.

The blue-plate special on Tuesday night was Arkansas State, a final morsel the Trojans devoured, 64-48, before a crowd of 3,533 at the Sports Arena.

The victory gave USC an 8-1 record, the team’s best start since 1991-92. It also highlighted the improvement of a program that went 9-19 last season and did not win its eighth game until March 5.

“You always want to go into the Pac-10 with a lot of confidence,” senior guard Elias Ayuso said. “Winning all those games gives us that. It gives us an edge.”

The Trojans’ fast start includes an impressive win at Nevada Las Vegas and a loss at nationally ranked Kansas. Though nowhere near that level, Arkansas State (6-5) represented a veteran opponent and the defending co-champion of the Sun Belt Conference.

“There were two [nonconference] games we thought would be really good games,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said beforehand. “If you were looking at a third game, it would be Arkansas State.”

The Indians showed uncommon quickness, especially from guard Chico Fletcher. That, and some tight shooting on both sides, made for ugly statistics in the first half.

Six minutes into the game, USC led by a scant 9-3 on a few free throws and a Brandon Granville three-point shot. Arkansas State crawled back with a pair of baskets from C.J. Pepper, who had a team-high 13 points, to tie the score at 15 after as many minutes.

About then, forward David Bluthenthal came into the game for USC. The freshman from Westchester High showed why he has been the most impressive player in practice the last two weeks.

Bluthenthal dived for loose balls and jostled for offensive rebounds. He worked the give-and-go, feeding center Brian Scalabrine for a basket. He was fouled in the lane and made two free throws, then hit a short jump shot that gave the Trojans a 28-19 lead at halftime.

The lead widened in the second half as USC continued to assert itself with two familiar weapons: defense and inside play.

Scalabrine, who led the team in three categories with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, scored on a pair of moves in the lane and, when the defense drew around him, fed Adam Spanich and Quincy Wilder for open shots under the basket.

“No doubt about it, they’re big and strong inside,” Arkansas State Coach Dickey Nutt said. “They’re well-rounded with a great inside guy [Scalabrine] who will be a professional player. He’s as good as it gets.”

Good enough to help USC to a 19-point lead with 11 minutes remaining. Arkansas State put together an 10-0 run in the final minutes, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Trojan guard Jeff Trepagnier capped the evening with a flying alley-oop dunk.

Now the Trojans can look to Pac-10 play, which starts on Saturday with formidable games against Arizona State and unbeaten Arizona. USC can’t hope to sneak up on either team, having upset both of them at the Sports Arena in the final games of last season.

Nor will the conference schedule provide many easy wins over the next two months, which makes nonconference victories like the one against Arkansas State crucial.

“All of us are happy,” said Greg Lakey, who worked his way back into the starting lineup and responded with 14 points and eight rebounds. “We’re really looking forward to the Pac-10.”