Trojans Get First Victory, but It’s Not Very Pretty

USC’s locker room was anything but cheerful after the Trojans’ 105-92 victory over Loyola Marymount Tuesday night before 2,957 at the Sports Arena.

That’s because the Trojans turned what could have been an easy blowout win over the overmatched Lions into an ugly escape.

“The only good from this game is that we got a win,” said USC senior forward Mark Boyd. “We really played lousy. SC basketball is intensity and we only had it for about 14 minutes tonight.”

In winning, USC (1-1) committed 17 turnovers and 30 personal fouls against a Loyola Marymount team that was routed by UCLA, 115-77, on Saturday.

USC allowed the Lions to shoot 60% from the field and score 69 second-half points, which is the most by a USC opponent. The previous was 66 by Notre Dame in 1991.

“I’m at a loss for words of what was achieved tonight,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “I guess both teams just fulfilled contract obligations. This game was not what basketball was meant to be.”

Despite the glumness, USC did have some bright spots.

For the second consecutive game, sophomore point guard Burt Harris scored a career-high with 17 points in only 17 minutes. His backup, Damaine Powell, also played well with six points and five assists in 21 minutes.

They helped USC take a commanding 47-23 lead at halftime before the Trojans’ sloppy play took over.

“I don’t know what it was but for some reason things got mixed up at the start of the second half,” Powell said. “We’re a young team and once we lost our focus, we never got it back. You could tell our minds weren’t into it.”

Boyd led USC with 19 points and seven rebounds, while junior Lorenzo Orr added 17, including four spectacular dunks, and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Brandon Martin scored 18 points off the bench.

USC’s four freshmen struggled for the second consecutive game. Stais Boseman and Avondre Jones started for the Trojans, but only combined to score 11 points on three-of-11 shooting from the field.

“I’m still pretty much trying to learn the system,” Boseman said. “I’m still trying to feel my way out and learn what is expected of me by the coaches. Right now, I’m real frustrated.”

Freshmen Claude Green and Jaha Wilson did not fare much better in reserve, as they combined to score eight points on two-of-nine shooting from the field.

Loyola Marymount was led by Wyking Jones’ 22 points and seven rebounds and Zan Mason’s 13 and seven.

After losing to both USC and UCLA within four days, Lion Coach John Olive said that the Trojans were more aggressive on the defensive end.

“USC is an aggressive, physical basketball team, as we thought,” said Olive, whose Lions dropped to 0-2. “Both (UCLA and USC) accomplished what they wanted by playing us, with UCLA and its running game and SC’s physical play. Tonight, we just started to assert ourselves more in the second half and stopped reacting to them and made them react to us.”

Next up for USC will be a road game at Tennessee-Martin Saturday.