USC Slips Against Cal, 62-58

Even with its momentous triumph over North Carolina, USC had more doubters than believers entering Pacific 10 Conference play.

Critics wondered what the Trojans had really proven by piling up victories against largely undistinguished opponents. Had Coach Tim Floyd strengthened a shaky foundation or slathered a thick coat of gloss on a defective product?

There is still a long way to go before any definitive answers can be provided, but the early returns were somewhat encouraging for USC despite a 62-58 loss to California on Thursday night at Staples Center.

The Trojans hung with the Golden Bears and, trailing by two points in the final seconds, had a chance to tie or win their conference opener until sophomore guard Gabe Pruitt slipped along the baseline and was called for traveling with 2.5 seconds left.

Pruitt said he was pushed by California guard Richard Midgley, “but I guess the official didn’t see it.” Floyd said officials made the right call.

Cal guard Ayinde Ubaka was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to set the final margin and end USC’s nine-game winning streak.

“I kind of feel like this brings us back down to Earth,” said Pruitt, who had 13 points and five steals. “We made our own mistakes with lackadaisical stuff we did like poor passing.”

The Trojans (9-3), who had won their last three meetings with the Golden Bears (7-3), endured a maddening second-half stretch in which they missed five of six free throws and seemingly matched every heads-up play with a blunder. Pruitt was at the center of it, stealing the ball on one play only to turn it over on a behind-the-back dribble and later airballing a fadeaway jump shot.

California forward Leon Powe, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds, made a free throw with 16 seconds left to give Cal a seemingly comfortable 60-55 lead.

But Pruitt made a three-pointer from the wing with 7.2 seconds left and pulled down a rebound after Powe missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 6.7 seconds to go. Then came the traveling call.

“I liked what we did with six or seven seconds to go,” Floyd said. “I thought Gabe had turned the corner and was at the rim when he stumbled and fell, but I wouldn’t have handled that any differently. It just didn’t work out for us.”

Guards Nick Young and Lodrick Stewart scored 16 points apiece for USC, which was without freshman forward RouSean Cromwell. Cromwell, who fractured his right foot Dec. 23 when he stepped on a ball in pregame warmups, had a screw inserted in his right foot Thursday. He is expected to miss at least four weeks.

Without Cromwell to help stabilize the interior, there were times when it seemed the only way the Trojans could have stopped Powe would have been if one of their football players got up from his courtside seat and tackled him.

Still, USC held Cal to 39.6% shooting and nearly 14 points below its season average. Midgley and Omar Wilkes added 11 points apiece for the Golden Bears, who had built leads as large as 11 points in the first half before the Trojans closed the gap.

“Now we know we can beat anybody,” Young said. “Less mistakes and we win the game.”