Trojans Game in 85-83 Defeat

Adam Spanich has been there before.

Seconds ticking down, the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game.

But this time, USC’s last-gasp specialist came up short. This time, the player who has a history of three-point bombs and half-court prayers watched his running 10-foot shot fall three feet shy of the rim.

“You don’t get a better shot than that,” Spanich said. “I just short-armed it.”

And the Trojans came up just short in their bid for a comeback victory over Washington, losing 85-83 before a crowd of 7,061 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Thursday night.

USC actually had two more opportunities to avert a loss in the final seconds. After Washington made a free throw to lead by two, then missed the next, USC guard Brandon Granville drove the length of the court only to have his desperation layup swatted out of bounds by 7-foot Husky center Todd MacCulloch.

Then, with 0.3 seconds remaining, USC tried an inbounds alley-oop pass that sailed inches too high.

That put a disheartening end to the Trojans’ gutsiest performance of the season, a game in which they continually rallied against a Washington team that has now climbed back into the Pac-10 race with a record of 11-7, 4-4 in conference.

“We were hanging in there,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We were doing everything we needed to do to stay in the game.”

All they have to show for it is another notch in a five-game losing streak. Their record is 10-7, 2-6. They find themselves at the bottom of the Pac-10 pile.

“It’s tough to lose like that,” Granville said.

This game started out as a homecoming for center Brian Scalabrine and guard Quincy Wilder, who grew up in the area and played together the last two seasons at Highline Community College in nearby Des Moines, Wash.

Not that the Husky crowd gave them much of a welcome back, booing when their names were announced before the game. And neither player did very well, shooting a combined three of 13.

It didn’t matter. The Trojans went out and played one of their best halves of the season. They went after Washington on defense, trapping the guards, double- and triple-teaming MacCulloch every time he touched the ball. The Husky center scored three quick baskets, then was shut down for the next 11 minutes.

That gave USC a chance to get its offense warmed up. Spanich caught fire early, making two baskets from three-point range. Forward Sam Clancy did not hesitate to go inside, working his way to 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

But MacCulloch would not be outplayed. With 6:22 remaining before halftime, he scored on a right-handed layup and began a streak of three consecutive baskets. That was enough to give Washington a 42-39 lead going into the second half.

The Huskies stretched that lead to as much as 13 points with seven minutes remaining and seemed to be cruising to a comfortable victory. Freshman guard Senque Carey continued his hot streak, finishing with a team-high 19 points and five assists. Guard Deon Luton had 18 points. MacCulloch chipped in 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

But the big man had a bad feeling.

“It was one of those games when you’re in the lead and you’re watching the clock, wanting it to tick faster,” he said.

The Trojans refused to fade, outrebounding the Huskies, 30-26, and committing a season-low 11 turnovers. Their comeback began with a three-point basket and a three-point play by Spanich, who scored a game-high 23 points and had three steals.

Then backcourt mate Elias Ayuso took over the final three minutes. The senior guard scored 11 of his 19 points, mostly on three-pointers, to close the gap to 84-83 with 51 seconds remaining.

The defense got a crucial stop after that, forcing an outside shot and rebounding the miss. That’s when Spanich got his chance, only this time he couldn’t pull of a miracle.