OKLAHOMA STATE 19 USC 48

What Happened: The Trojans could do no wrong and played perhaps their best 20 minutes of the season as they outplayedthe Cowboys in every area. Sam Clancy (14 points), Jeff Trepagnier (12) and Brandon Granville (11) led the charge to a 48-19 halftime lead and the Trojans surprisingly did all this damage without David Bluthenthal scoring a point. After the initial wave, Oklahoma State looked rattled and didn’t recover until midway through the second half, but of course by then it was too late.

What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: Trepagnier’s highlight reel dunks. In a two-minute span early, Trepagnier dunked on a feed from Granville and then sent the crowd into hysterics after Brian Scalabrine’s no-look, behind-the-head backdoor pass from the high post that led to another dunk. For good measure, Trepagnier added a reverse dunk off another Granville lob at the 6:58 mark and infused USC with the emotion it had lacked at times down the stretch of the regular season.

Winning Number: 19. The Trojan defense held Oklahoma State to its fewest points in a half this season and did a brilliant job making Cowboy leading scorer Maurice Baker (20.1 ppg avg.) a non-factor. Baker took only two shots, didn’t take his first one until the 10:16 mark and Oklahoma State never got into any kind of rhythm on offense or defense.

Wrong Numbers: One for 10. That was Oklahoma State’s performance from the free-throw line in the first half. Things hardly got better later as the Cowboys finished three for 17 in the game.

Leading Scorers: USC--Clancy 14. OSU--Fredrik Jonzen 6.

Leading Rebounders: USC--Clancy 7. OSU--Andre Williams 6.

OKLAHOMA STATE 54 USC 69

What Happened: Predictably, after playing to near perfection, the Trojans came out flat and tentative and scored only four points in the first seven minutes, but their 29-point halftime lead gave them plenty of cushion. Leading 58-31, USC allowed Oklahoma State to go on a 13-0 run to give the Cowboys some hope with 8:23 left, but they never got closer.

What You Won’t Find in the Box Score: How USC’s defense clamped down after Oklahoma State made its run. In a 6 1/2-minute span, the Trojans held the Cowboys to three points and continued its tenacious defending of three-pointshots . The Cowboys finished one for 10 from beyond the arc, which mirrored their effort at the free-throw line and ultimately made the difference in the end.

Winning Numbers: Trepagnier’s game-ending line. The senior guard played all 40 minutes and had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots. He also was the player most responsible for taking Oklahoma State’s Baker out of the game early when it mattered. Clancy’s 22-point, 13-rebound, four-block effort and his dominance in the middle complemented Trepagnier perfectly.

Wrong Number: One. The first-round loss for Oklahoma State marked the the only time in nine tournament appearances under Coach Eddie Sutton since 1991 that the Cowboys were sent home after one game. Before Thursday, the last time Oklahoma State lost in the first round was in 1983, a 56-53 defeat to Princeton.

Leading Scorers: USC--Clancy 8. OSU--Jonzen 11.

Leading Rebounders: USC--Clancy 6. OSU--A. Williams 7.