USC Falls Just Short at Buzzer

An imposing shadow fell across the Sports Arena on Wednesday, one even more encompassing than the tag of interim coach given Jim Saia.

Rick Majerus, the larger-than-life (literally and figuratively) former coach at Utah, acknowledged that he had been contacted by USC officials about the position once held by the fired Henry Bibby and that he planned on talking with them again in the coming days.

But perhaps no shadow was as long as the one cast by Gabe Pruitt’s three-point attempt from the left wing as time expired against Fresno State. The ball carried with it the Trojans’ hopes of getting to overtime and gaining a victory in their first game since Bibby was fired Monday and Saia was handed the team by Athletic Director Mike Garrett.

Pruitt’s shot, though, like many things in this short season, was off, and the Trojans, playing for a coach they’ve known for all of five games, could only wonder what could have been after falling to Fresno State, 71-68, in front of 3,134.

“I thought the kids gave a great effort ... that’s important,” Saia said after being given a postgame pep talk by Garrett. “We had every chance to win the game. It just seemed like there was a lid on the rim.”

Actually, there seems to be a lid on Saia keeping the job on a permanent basis, Garrett saying earlier in the evening that Saia’s chances were “remote.”

Still, USC (2-3) played with a passion seen only in spurts this season, the Trojans getting their transition game in high gear in the early going thanks to a stifling defense.

The Trojans, who started two freshmen (point guard Pruitt and guard Nick Young), a sophomore (guard Lodrick Stewart) and two seniors (forward Nick Curtis and center Rory O’Neil) ran out to a 12-3 lead before the game was four minutes old.

USC, playing without injured power forward Jeff McMillan (broken left hand) and gunner Dwayne Shackleford (swollen left knee), shared the ball with aplomb and the five starters scored to help USC build a nine-point lead.

After Fresno State (5-0) closed to within a basket on two occasions, USC took off again.

Fueled by composed play from senior guard Errick Craven, USC ran off a 10-2 scoring spurt to hold a game-high 10-point advantage, 29-19, after a Craven three-point basket with 5 minutes 34 seconds remaining in the half.

The Trojans lost their shooting touch, though, and shot only 38.4% from the field, 26.7% from three-point territory, and the Bulldogs’ beefy frontcourt began giving USC fits. Especially with McMillan out and O’Neil, who led USC with 15 points, struggling through a poor shooting game -- he missed 11 of 18 shots.

Fresno State inserted 6-foot-9, 330-pound senior center Jack Marlow into the mix, along with athletic 6-9, 240-pound senior power forward Mustafa Al-Sayyad, who had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and the Bulldogs pounded the ball down low for high-percentage shots, closing the half with a 13-2 run and taking a 32-31 lead into halftime. Fresno State shot 62.5% in the second half.

After Marlow picked up his fourth foul with 6:47 remaining in regulation and the Bulldogs leading, 53-51, USC was able to speed the tempo.

The Trojans led, 62-57, after a three-point play by Craven, with 4:02 to play.

“We had a chance to break it open,” Saia said. “We just got tired.”

And with tired legs, shots stop falling and defense suffers.

“I think everybody played their game,” said Pruitt, who had seven points, three assists and three steals but four turnovers in 31 minutes. “We have the offense down, we just can’t be lackadaisical.”

His three-point attempt at the buzzer, though, was anything but lazy.

“It felt good,” Pruitt said. “But coach always told me that once it leaves your hand, you can’t do nothing about it.”

Kind of like Saia’s hopes at getting the job full time.

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Trojan freshman walk-on Daniel Garrett, a guard and son of Mike Garrett, will be a redshirt this season, a source said.