Trojans Wind Up Stranded on Beach Against the 49ers

USC became a .500 basketball team after a 76-66 loss to Long Beach State on Thursday night at the Pyramid.

Two easy wins had given USC some rhythm. But there are still items on the season checklist that the Trojans (5-5) have yet to scratch off.

“We need to beat a Pac-10 caliber school,” USC center Brian Scalabrine said before the game. “If we can do that we’ll feel like we’re getting where we want to be. And Long Beach has Pac-10 caliber players. There are guys on that team that can really play.

“It’s good this is going to be a road game. In my opinion we still haven’t won a road game in a real hostile environment. We need to get out there with the crowd against us and cool everything out.”

Long Beach State (4-3) turned out be the kind of road opponent Scalabrine had in mind. The Pyramid was not filled to capacity, but the crowd of 2,739 was raucous. The 49ers had been embarrassed last year at the Sports Arena, 74-48, and were in no mood to come off as a college version of the Clippers before a national television audience--at least those who could stay up with a 9:05 tip-off.

Fueled by their boisterous fans--twice the Trojans appealed to the referees that spectators were throwing things at them--the 49ers overcame a two-point Trojan half-point lead, raced out to 62-55 lead with just over six minutes to play, then sank big shots and big free throws down the stretch to hold off any final Trojan rallies.

“This is a big win for us,” 49er Coach Wayne Morgan said. “Any time a Big West school can beat a Pac-10 school it’s a big win.”

The Trojans, who shot 50% in the first half, saw the basket shrink to the size of a thimble.

USC made only seven of 29 attempts in the second half, in part because of the 49ers’ aggressive man-to-man defense, and in part because of a cold streak that rivaled the Ice Age. USC made only 15 of 24 free throws.

“We wanted to press and pressure them the whole game,” Morgan said. “We knew their first five guys were very good, but their bench isn’t deep. We thought fatigue would get them.”

And when Scalabrine--who took only four shots and scored four points--fouled out with 4:40 to play trying to block Grant Stone’s tip-in, it seemed the Trojans were done.

“I’m very disappointed with our second half,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We let them hang around the first half and that hurt us. We had a chance to knock them out and we didn’t.”

USC closed to within 67-64, but Charles O’Neal moved Long Beach State back up by five with a pair of free throws with 1:54 to play. Brandon Granville (16 points) drove down the court and scored a layup, only to see Williams answer in kind.

Granville missed a three-pointer, Hair missed a three-pointer, a couple more turnovers, and USC was definitely done.

David Bluthenthal and Sam Clancy scored 19 points for USC. It was a career high for Bluthenthal, but he only scored two points in the second half.

Mate Milisa had 15 for Long Beach, a preseason favorite to win the Big West.