Galen event is a setback

Lots of things inside the Galen Center portended the possibility of big-time college basketball.

There were dramatic player introductions with the lights dimmed and the music blaring. Massive windows showcasing the downtown Los Angeles skyline. A modern video scoreboard chronicling every point and foul.

If only USC could have put together a finish to match the amenities.

The Trojans unveiled a disappointing conclusion to the first game in their long-awaited arena Thursday night, losing, 80-74, in overtime to South Carolina before an announced crowd of 7,512.

The Gamecocks scored 10 of the first 13 points in the extra period on a flurry of three-pointers and driving layups by lightning-quick guard Tre’ Kelley, showing perhaps just how much the Trojans miss point guards Ryan Francis and Gabe Pruitt. Kelley scored 11 points in overtime.

“We can’t duplicate Tre’ Kelley in practice every day and the speed and quickness and elusiveness,” USC Coach Tim Floyd said. “We’ll just continue to work on that.”

USC also could have used a few more fans. There were chunks of empty seats in both the lower and upper portions of the 10,258-seat arena, though the student section of nearly 2,000 appeared mostly full.

The students seemed to energize the Trojans during the back-and-forth final minute of regulation, when each team had a chance to win.

With the shot clock winding down, the Trojans worked the ball inside to freshman forward Taj Gibson, who had been a force underneath the basket and finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. But Gibson’s shot bounced off the rim to Kelley, who raced the length of the court for a layup that rimmed out at the buzzer.

Kelley finished with a game-high 26 points for the Gamecocks (2-1), who had lost by 15 points to UC Irvine on Tuesday. Guard Bryce Sheldon, a native of Anaheim, added 22 points on six-of-seven shooting from behind the three-point arc.

Junior swingman Nick Young had a quiet 15 points and appeared out of control at times for a Trojans team that made only 35.2% of its shots, including 30.8% in overtime.

“We’re disappointed that we couldn’t come away with a win in the opening game in this building,” Floyd said.

The crowd included former Trojans great Paul Westphal, who had been shown blueprints for a new arena during a recruiting visit in the late 1960s.

Trojans students wore white T-shirts in tribute to Francis bearing the slain player’s jersey No. 12 and the saying “We Remember Franchise.” Francis had been killed in May while riding in a car in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La., the unintended victim of a dispute between two other men.

Francis was remembered for his tenacity during a 15-minute halftime ceremony that included video highlights from his freshman season and tributes from his teammates. Actor Tom Arnold, who helped establish a scholarship fund through the University of Phoenix in honor of Francis and Francis’ mother, Paulette, spoke glowingly of the single mother who lost her only child.

The Trojans players remained on the court for the ceremony and hugged Paulette.

A year ago, Francis, coming off an undefeated senior season with his high school team, had cried in USC’s locker room after Cal State Northridge defeated the Trojans in overtime in their opener at the Sports Arena.

“We loved him. All of us loved him,” said Floyd, who noted that the Trojans had placed one of Francis’ jerseys in a vacant locker. “We’re never, ever going to forget him.”

Students also paid homage to the future of USC basketball during a timeout in the first half, repeatedly chanting “O.J. Mayo!” in reference to the prized high school recruit, who sent in his letter of intent a day earlier. USC certainly could have used Mayo against the Gamecocks and Kelley.

ben.bolch@latimes.com