Trojans Take Self-Help Course

Given what USC has endured this season, you couldn’t have blamed the Trojans had they shipped in Anthony Robbins this week for some pep talks or spent the last eight days watching Saturday Night Live tapes of Stuart Smalley.

You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you.

Mired in a two-game losing funk and having dropped three games this season on buzzer-beating three-point shots, the 25th-ranked Trojans seemed to be in dire need of motivational speakers.

Then again, winning seems to cure all.

Thursday night at the Sports Arena, 4,802 witnessed the Trojans’ epiphany as they dumped the negativity of the past few weeks to beat Arizona State, 83-61, completing a regular-season sweep of the Sun Devils.

The Trojans improved to 17-6 overall, 9-4 in the Pacific 10 Conference, jumping into a five-way tie for second place with Oregon, California, UCLA and Stanford.

Arizona State dropped to 13-10, 6-8.

Two of USC’s most likely candidates for a self-help seminar--senior David Bluthenthal and freshman Errick Craven--had much-needed awakenings.

Bluthenthal, who recently said his senior year has been the most trying of his career, had an inkling that he wouldn’t start against the Sun Devils. He also said he’d be OK with that.

He was correct on both counts.

Bluthenthal, who was shooting 24% from the field over his previous four games, came off the bench to finish with a game-high 21 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the field, three of five from beyond the three-point line.

He also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and blocked a shot in 27 minutes.

Craven, who hit the freshman wall and used the eight-day break between games to ice his heavy legs and soothe his tired spirit, had 14 points on five-of-nine shooting, three of five on three-pointers, and also had two steals in 26 minutes.

Senior power forward Sam Clancy had his ninth straight double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

USC blocked a season-high 10 shots and shot 84%, 21 of 25 from the free-throw line.

The Trojans held Arizona State’s leading scorer, center Chad Prewitt, who entered the game averaging 18 points, to five points.

For the first time since Dec. 12, 16 games ago, USC trotted out a different starting lineup. Senior guard Gennaro Busterna, fresh off his career-high 12-point outing at UCLA last week, had his first career start as a Trojan and sophomore small forward Jerry Dupree started for the first time since USC’s third game.

Busterna was held scoreless in 10 minutes and Dupree had seven points in 15 minutes.

Arizona State jumped out to a 6-4 lead four minutes into the game with USC sluggish with its unfamiliar lineup.

Then, with the Trojans leading by one, 8-7, at the 13:30 mark, Bluthenthal and Craven entered the game and USC never looked back.

With its familiar components on the floor, USC began pressing and the Trojans embarked on a 24-8 run over the next 10 minutes.

By the time the spree was over, on an emphatic Craven dunk, USC led by a first-half high 17 points, 32-15, with 3:40 remaining until intermission.

The Sun Devils, though, closed out with a 6-2 run and, with USC sending out the same five starters to begin the second half, Arizona State scored the first six points of the half to climb within seven points, 34-27, with 17:25 to play.

USC, after inserting Bluthenthal and Craven, took off again.

The Trojans went on a 24-7 run over the next seven minutes to go up by a game-high 24 points, 58-34, on a pair of Bluthenthal free throws with 10:18 to play.

Included in the run, three Bluthenthal three-pointers in a 143-second span and a blocked shot by the small forward after making a 23-footer from the top of the key.