Ayuso, Spanich Want Scoring Burden

Since the start of the Pacific 10 schedule, USC has gotten 33% of its scoring from senior guards Elias Ayuso and Adam Spanich. Ayuso leads the team in conference play with 14.5 points a game and Spanich ranks third at 10.3.

With the Trojans having lost seven of their last eight games, Spanich suggests that he and Ayuso shoulder even more of the burden. If only they could get the ball more often.

“Maybe it’s people not screening or not looking to pass to us,” he said. “To win games, we’ve got to know who to look for, who can get us a bucket.”

Another of the Trojan offensive threats, center Brian Scalabrine, has seen his average drop several points to 13.5 in Pac-10 play. Sitting in front of his locker after a recent game, ice bags taped to both knees, the junior college transfer said part of that decrease can be attributed to wear and tear as he endures his first season of Division I basketball.

The biggest man on the roster at 6 feet 9, Scalabrine is averaging 31.2 minutes a game.

“I don’t get off my feet as quickly as I did [at the beginning of the season],” he said. “Next year I’ve got to work harder in the off-season.”

Coming up: Thursday at California, Saturday at Stanford.