Newcomers Were Key to Strong Finish

Now the Trojans must wait by the telephone, hoping for a call and an invitation from National Invitation Tournament officials. Either way, Coach Henry Bibby says he is encouraged by the way his team won four of its final six Pacific 10 Conference games and by the improvement of newcomers Brian Scalabrine, Sam Clancy and Brandon Granville.

“You are looking at so many guys on this team who came in here not knowing what to expect,” Bibby said. “It has been rewarding to see things we worked on in October finally coming to a head. I keep giving them confidence, letting them know I am pleased with their play.”

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If anything, USC may have been too excited in the first 20 minutes at Arizona State, committing too many turnovers on the way to a two-point halftime lead.

“We were just trying to push it up too quick,” sophomore Jeff Trepagnier told XTRA (690). “The second half, we calmed down.”

The Trojans outscored the Sun Devils by nine in the second half.