USC Meets Arizona Halfway

USC, outplayed by also-rans such as Long Beach State and Ohio State, trudged into its game Monday with No. 5-ranked Arizona dragging a six-game losing streak.

Then the Trojans played as though they were among the nation’s elite.

As it had two weeks ago in losing to second-ranked Kansas, smaller, slower and much less experienced USC threw everything it had at a top-25 team, making a game of it before being overcome, 91-72.

Before 14,543 at McKale Center, the Trojans were without their emotional leader, senior forward Gary Williams, who was suspended for the second time this season for violating unspecified team rules.

USC senior point guard Gary Johnson held them together for most of the game with 30 points, a career-high, and eight assists.

“I’m not pleased with tonight at all,” said Johnson, whose points were the most by a Trojan this season. “Yeah, I scored 30, but I’d rather score zero and get the win.”

USC, which has been commended by opposing coaches for its aggressive defense, saw what a real full-court press looked like.

The Trojans (4-8, 0-2) turned the ball over 28 times, 16 in the second half. They did a good job of breaking the press in the first half, but struggled after freshman guard Kevin Augustine got into foul trouble.

“After I picked up that third foul, it was hard for me to keep my head in the game,” said Augustine, who was called for his fourth when he fouled guard Miles Simon, a former teammate at Santa Ana Mater Dei High, with 2:25 left in the first half.

The Wildcats, who trailed at halftime, 39-33, went on a 17-4 run to open the second half and led by 10 points with eight minutes to play.

But USC kept fighting back.

With 5:05 left and Arizona ahead, 65-57, Johnson made a layup after his own steal and the Trojans were back within six points.

But fouls came back to plague USC. With Augustine and junior guard Elias Ayuso--who scored 20 points--out, USC Coach Henry Bibby had to use a former walk-on, senior Behzad Souferian, to help push the ball upcourt late in the game.

Arizona (11-3, 2-0) went to its press, and started swinging and swatting at every USC pass.

The Trojans failed to score in three of their next four possessions.

“We knew they were going to press,” Bibby said. We had gone over what we wanted to do against it in practice. It’s a little different when you’re out on the floor and you’ve got 16,000 people screaming.”

While USC struggled, Arizona got three-point baskets from Simon and forward Michael Dickerson.

With 2:20 left, Dickerson hit another three-point basket to put the Wildcats up, 82-65.

Simon led Arizona with 26 points and six assists. Dickerson finished with 18 points and four rebounds.

“We put better pressure on them in the second half,” Arizona Coach Lute Olson said. “We did a better job of rotating to the pressure, a lot like we did against UCLA. All of a sudden, they didn’t shoot the ball as well.”

The seven-game losing streak weighs heavy.

“I don’t know if the [streak] is getting to the players but it’s getting to me,” Bibby said. “I was proud of our guys, the way they hung in there.”

In the first half, the Trojans looked like a contender.

They played the kind of swarming, clinging defense they did in losing to Kansas. They cramped Arizona’s inside game, and the Wildcats made only one of their first seven three-point attempts.

The Trojans held Arizona to 33 first-half points, one more than their season low, which came against Kansas.

As for Williams, Bibby would not comment on why he had been suspended before the game for the second time this season.

A USC official said Williams had violated team rules but would not reveal what they were.