Farmer Sows Trojan Victory

The shot looked true, and the ball bounced teasingly close.

But by the time Dijon Thompson’s wayward free-throw attempt with one-half of a second remaining bounded up, then down, then off to the right, UCLA’s chances at sending Wednesday night’s game into a second overtime went with it.

Instead, USC escaped with a 78-77 overtime win in front of a season-high crowd of 10,147.

The game showcased the prolific scoring ability of Trojan senior guard Desmon Farmer.

Playing his last game at the Sports Arena, Farmer scored 11 of his game-high 28 points in overtime, the game-winner a three-point play with 27 seconds remaining.

It was Thompson who committed the foul.

“Coach [Henry Bibby] told me it was my time, to take over,” said Farmer, who began his scoring barrage on a three-pointer from the left corner with 90 seconds remaining in overtime and the Trojans trailing by five, 74-69.

Farmer’s three-pointer from the left wing with a minute to play brought USC within one before his breakaway layup, on a pretty feed from Errick Craven, drew the foul. He knocked down the free throw.

“I’m a senior, and it’s my last [home game],” Farmer said, “so I didn’t want to go out with a loss.

“This was to let everyone know who’s the dominant team in the city. I guaranteed this, so I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

Still, UCLA had the ball and worked for a last-second shot.

A wild scramble ensued under the basket after a Thompson miss. Trojan forward Nick Curtis was called for a foul on Thompson, who had rebounded his own shot, by referee Charlie Range with no time left.

After watching the replay, the officials put half a second on the clock, and Thompson, a 79.2% free-throw shooter, was sent to the line. Trojan guard Derrick Craven chatted in Thompson’s ear.

“I didn’t hear a word he said,” Thompson said of his high school rival and longtime friend.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. I just missed the shot,” added Thompson, who made the second free throw on a bank shot when he was supposed to miss and hope for a Bruin putback.

Thompson was supported by his teammates.

“He knows not to worry about it,” said Bruin freshman forward Trevor Ariza, who led UCLA with 24 points. “He’ll get a million more chances with the game on the line.”

Said a soft-spoken Cedric Bozeman: “We’re all human.”

Except for Farmer, when he’s lighting up the scoreboard in eye-popping fashion.

“Everything depended on Des,” Bibby said. “I’m sure it’s a memorable evening for him. You can’t go out in better fashion, winning in overtime against UCLA.”

It was also a memorable evening for Bibby, whose son, Sacramento King point guard Mike Bibby, attended the game and exchanged hugs with his father. The two had a well-publicized tempestuous relationship.

The rekindling only added to the festive atmosphere of USC, which improved to 12-13 overall, 7-9 in Pacific 10 Conference play, and pulled into sixth place in the conference.

UCLA, meanwhile fell to 11-13, 7-9, and into seventh because USC swept the Bruins.

“It’s a really, really tough loss,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “We had a great opportunity at the end of regulation and ... in overtime.”

USC got its fourth straight win against UCLA and swept the Bruins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1940-42.

The Trojans, though, blew the 17-point lead, 49-32, they had built less than three minutes into the second half.

USC was playing with the Craven twins, who had been suspended from the game by the Pac 10 for their respective “incidents” against California on Saturday, but with an appeal they were allowed to play.

UCLA tied the score at 65-65 on a Ryan Hollins score with 1:33 remaining, and then Ariza scored the first five points of overtime.

Enter Farmer.

“Des was big at the end,” said Trojan forward Jeff McMillan, who had his eighth double-double with 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. His 18 rebounds are a Pac-10 high.

“He was ready and in overtime, he took over.”

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Series Breakdown

USC, with its 78-77 overtime victory at the Sports Arena on Wednesday night, swept UCLA for the fourth time since 1967-68, and extended its winning streak in the series to four. A look at the UCLA-USC series since 1967-68, when the schools regularly played two games, and the previous 36 seasons, when the schools usually played three or four games:

*--* 1967-68 TO PRESENT UCLA Sweep 20 times USC Sweep 4 Series Split 13 1931-32 TO 1966-67 UCLA Sweep 10 USC Sweep 10 UCLA Edge in Series 7 USC Edge in Series 6 Series Split 3 LONGEST SERIES WIN STREAKS USC 42 (1932-43) UCLA 17 (1964-69)

*--*

NOTABLE

* When USC swept the series in 1984-85, it won 78-77 in two overtimes at the Sports Arena and 80-78 in four overtimes at Pauley Pavilion.

* UCLA has 119 victories in the series, USC 98.