At USC, There’s No Substitute for a Bench

The difference in this season’s USC basketball team isn’t hard to spot. Just look down the bench.

That’s where Quincy Wilder came from, entering the game before halftime to make a pair of quick moves to the basket.

And that’s what got the sluggish Trojans jump-started on their way to a 74-48 victory over Long Beach State in front of a Tuesday night crowd of 2,836 at the Sports Arena.

It’s all part of a game plan in which starters and substitutes shuttle on and off the floor at a steady pace.

“Coming off the bench isn’t bad,” Wilder said. “I saw we needed a boost and I just wanted to get into the flow of the game.”

The junior guard is part of a deep roster that includes subs Adam Spanich, whose key baskets beat Nevada Las Vegas last week, and Sam Clancy, a freshman with a body for muscling inside. Coach Henry Bibby came into this game with 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes a game.

“My subs have to be better than your subs,” Bibby said. “Then I’m going to beat you.”

The Trojans are 3-0 for the first time in a decade. They are shooting about 50% from the field, a mark they reached only three times while going 9-19 last season.

These are the statistics USC had hoped to accumulate during its early-season schedule. The Trojans will need the confidence, not to mention the victories, to have any hope of earning a postseason bid at the end of a long and difficult Pacific 10 Conference schedule.

The 49ers, on the other hand, came into the game looking for a big win to offset recent losses to Pepperdine and Cal State Northridge. With forward Richie Smalls and guard Antrone Lee getting a quick start, they were able to stay close early.

Ten minutes into the game, Long Beach State (1-3) jumped to a two-point lead with some bench offense of its own. Ramel “Rock” Lloyd, a stocky guard who transferred from Syracuse last season, came in to score on a spinning drive into the lane and two short jump shots.

But with time winding down in the half, Wilder showed his moves. His two layups ignited a 17-2 run.

“Last year, people had attitudes if they didn’t play,” sophomore forward Jeff Trepagnier said. “This team, they come in with good attitudes.”

Brian Scalabrine, the team’s new center and an emerging star, followed with two of his game-high 19 points on a short jumper and Spanich made a three-pointer just before halftime. The momentum carried into the second half as Scalabrine scored twice more.

By the time Long Beach State rediscovered its offense, the Trojans had built a 16-point lead.

“We did things you can’t do against a good Division I team and USC is a good Division I team,” Long Beach State Coach Wayne Morgan said. “We can’t turn the ball over like we did.”

If the 49ers had any thoughts of recovering, those hopes were dashed by Trepagnier, who had 12 points and put together a highlight reel in the waning minutes, scoring on a pair of dunks and swatting a pair of Long Beach State shots into the crowd.

Even though he’s a starter, Trepagnier was eager to show his stuff.

“Everybody plays this year,” he said. “People know when they get their chance, they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.”