Important Win for the Trojans

It’s hard to decide who was happier to see the Washington Huskies--USC or Jeff Trepagnier.

On their most important weekend of the season, USC did not play down to the level of a second-tier opponent. The Trojans opened the game with 10 consecutive points and led by as many as 32 in the second half on their way to an 85-56 victory over Washington on Thursday night before 6,215 at the Bank of America Arena.

Trepagnier--who scored a career-high 28 points against the Huskies last year--had a game-high 22 points in his best game of his turbulent season. Trepagnier, who was shooting 38.8% coming in, made 10 of 15 shots, including three signature skyscraper slams.

The Trojans, 20-9 overall and 10-7 in the Pacific 10 Conference, reached two critical goals: 20 victories for the first time since 1992, and at least 10 conference wins, which should get them into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997, even if they finish fifth in conference play. They trail Cal by one game.

But the joy dissolved into the anger of Coach Henry Bibby, who would not speak or let the players speak to reporters after the game.

Except for this:

“One of you reporters called a player at the dorm this week and you know that is off-limits,” Bibby said. “We give you access to the players. But then you go behind my back like this, so no one will talk.”

It was left to Washington Coach Bob Bender, whose Huskies (9-20, 3-14) lost their eighth in a row, to offer some perspective.

“We had hoped to put some game pressure on them, so that the things that were important to them would loom larger,” Bender said. “When they’re getting out and running, and throwing the ball up to Jeff Trepagnier like that, they are tough to beat.

“Those were the kind of plays they made last year, before their injuries, that got people’s attention. Maybe they are meshing again, at the right time.”

In sync with Trepagnier on Thursday were Brandon Granville, with 20 points and eight assists, and Sam Clancy, who had 16 points. David Bluthenthal (seven points) and Brian Scalabrine (11) were quiet on the scoreboard, but Scalabrine brought down a career-high 15 rebounds.

Washington was led by Will Perkins, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. But the Huskies, who seem destined to finish last in Pac-10 for the first time since the 1990-91 season, were never in the game after the opening seven minutes. And they weren’t going to get into the game by only making 23 of 74 shots (31.1%), including a frigid three of 17 from the three-point line.

While not blistering the nets, the Trojans did make 33 of 70 shots (47.1%) against whatever defense the Huskies attempted.

“We tried to juggle things and insert people that might give us a spark. But when you miss layups that deflates everybody,” Bender said.

“And against USC, that kind of reaction gets you scored on.”

The 10-0 run USC opened the game with showed the Trojans were not going to be flat, and they were not planning on giving Washington much hope.

Trepagnier gave immediate notice it was his night. He threw down a couple of early dunks--one of them a reverse slam after catching an alley-oop pass from Granville--and that generated the kind of big night he has been searching for since getting 19 points against Cal in February.

Other Trojans also looked energized. Except for a couple of different spells of zone defense, the Huskies played Clancy man-for-man in the first half, and he responded with 11 points. Granville made a pair of three-point shots to help the Trojans lead by as much as 20 before settling on a 48-31 lead at halftime.

USC began the second half with an 11-2 run.