Young carries memory of Francis

These are the times they miss Ryan Francis most, when they imagine what it would have been like for the 5-foot-9 bundle of energy to be a part of what is shaping up as a special season.

The ache runs especially deep for USC junior swingman Nick Young, Francis’ roommate on trips and a close friend of the freshman who was slain last May in Baton Rouge, La. As fun as it was, the No. 22 Trojans’ 80-75 victory Thursday over No. 19 Arizona somehow seemed incomplete.

“It’s something he would have been proud of,” Young said of a triumph that ended USC’s 21-game losing streak at Arizona’s McKale Center. “Those moments always get to us, like when we upset Wichita State ... he would have been out there jumping around.

“Last night we would have been celebrating in the room, just having fun. We used to always have a pillow fight every other day.”

The Trojans have remembered their fallen teammate by putting one of his jerseys in an empty locker inside the Galen Center and erecting a bench bearing his name outside the facility. Francis’ No. 12 is also inscribed in large red letters on the court near the scorer’s table, and players have worn red wristbands adorned with his name as a tribute.

The trial of DeAnthony Norman Ford, the man accused of shooting Francis, is scheduled to begin June 11 in Baton Rouge.

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There was plenty of drive-time traffic Thursday in Tucson, and the Trojans couldn’t have been happier.

Lodrick Stewart and Gabe Pruitt, considered primarily perimeter threats, made a concerted effort to penetrate against the Wildcats, with pleasing results. Stewart scored 10 of his 26 points and drew several fouls on drives to the basket, and Pruitt converted several driving layups, including a nifty spin move.

“Coming into the game, we knew that would be a big part of our success, so we tried to utilize that throughout the whole game,” Pruitt said. “I feel for the rest of the season you’ll see a lot more penetration and kicks and drives to the basket because it made a lot of things easier for us.”

Stewart, who made 11 field goals but only one three-point basket, called it “just being aggressive” with dribble penetration to the middle of the defense.

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Freshman forward Taj Gibson finished with a career-low two points on one-for-six shooting in 26 minutes. He fouled out with 4:01 remaining.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com