USC Avoids Last-Second Letdown

USC players just concluded final exams, but a few sessions at a finishing school might be in order before their next game.

The Trojans continued a trend of turning blowouts into nail-biters Saturday night against Loyola Marymount, nearly letting a double-digit lead slip away in the second half before holding on for a 71-69 victory at Gersten Pavilion.

USC’s fifth consecutive victory wasn’t secure until Lion guard Wes Wardrop’s three-point shot from the top of the key bounced off the rim just before the final buzzer.

“We have to learn how to play 40 minutes,” said Trojan guard Gabe Pruitt, who scored a career-high 36 points on 13-for-19 shooting. “Right now we’re up to about 30.”

USC (5-2) had built a 15-point lead with 9 minutes 12 seconds left only to watch Loyola Marymount (2-6) mount a furious rally without its best player.

Lion forward Matthew Knight suffered a concussion early in the second half after being elbowed in the chest by Trojan center Abdoulaye N’diaye. Knight tumbled to the floor and hit his head on the hardwood. He is expected to sit out at least a week.

“A lot of our plays are down low, and when he went out we had to switch it up,” Wardrop said. “It hurts. He’s our go-to guy.”

USC still appeared to be comfortably ahead after a one-handed layup by Pruitt gave the Trojans a 71-65 lead with 1:39 remaining. But Loyola Marymount guard Jon Ziri made a layup and Lion guard Brandon Worthy fed forward Dustin Brown for a wide-open layin with 43 seconds left to make it 71-69.

Trojan swingman Nick Young (13 points) was called for traveling with 12.6 seconds remaining, setting up Wardrop’s last-second attempt.

“We’re proud of the win, not how we won,” USC Coach Tim Floyd said. “We’re going to go back to work on the little things, which to me are nothing more than concentration.”

Worthy scored 12 points for Loyola Marymount, which had four players in double figures.

The Trojans, who almost let an 18-point lead get away last week during a victory over Brigham Young, now find themselves with their longest winning streak since the 2001-02 team won nine straight en route to an NCAA tournament appearance.

USC would seem in excellent position to extend its streak with games against Western Michigan and Alcorn State next week, but first it must shore up the sloppy play that almost proved costly against the Lions. The Trojans committed 19 turnovers and all three of their big men -- N’diaye, RouSean Cromwell and Jeremy Barr -- fouled out.

“I’ve never had a team foul like that,” Floyd said. “We almost ran out of guys.”

Still, the Trojans displayed tremendous hustle, making 12 steals and blocking six shots. Pruitt made seven of his first 11 shots and scored 20 points by halftime.

“I was feeling it early in the shoot-around, so I thought I’d keep shooting,” said Pruitt, who said he also played well the last time he competed at Gersten Pavilion as a senior at Westchester High. “I’m going to mark this one down in my books. It means a lot.”