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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A perilously thin bench and the loss of two
key players to injuries figured to make an already tough task even
tougher for Southern California.
|  | | Southern Cal's David Bluthenthal, left, drives past Luke Walton. Bluthenthal scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the second half. |
Instead, the Trojans got career games from David Bluthenthal and
Brian Scalabrine to surprise No. 2 Arizona 80-72 on Saturday night
in a showdown of undefeated Pac-10 teams.
"It was a very important game for us, a very emotional game for
us with Sam and Jarvis being out," said Scalabrine, who had a
career-high 27 points. "I just can't say enough about our team and
how we fought."
USC played without leading scorer Sam Clancy and sixth-man
Jarvis Turner, who are both out for the season. Clancy fractured
his right foot and Turner fractured his left ankle in an overtime
win against Arizona State on Thursday.
The Wildcats (16-3, 5-1 Pac-10) had their seven-game winning
streak snapped and surrendered first place in the conference to the
Trojans (12-5), who are 5-0 for the first time since the Pac-10
expanded to 10 teams in 1978-79.
"Guys on the team have a lot of heart," said guard Brandon
Granville, who had 12 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes despite
foul trouble. "We say do whatever it takes to win the game. We
have a lot of passion and we're starting to believe in what the
coach is telling us."
At the buzzer, screaming fans stormed the court and swept the
players up in a raucous celebration at the Sports Arena.
"To those who wrote us off in the papers, thank you very much
because that fired us up to get going," USC coach Henry Bibby
said.
Bluthenthal scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the second
half to help USC win its seventh straight -- its longest winning
streak since taking nine Pac-10 games in a row in 1992 -- and ninth
in its last 10.
"Everybody wrote us off," Granville said. "You saw the papers
today. They said we're in trouble. When someone like Sam, who's so
important to our team and one of the leading scorers in the Pac-10
is out, I think they took us kind of light."
Scalabrine hit four consecutive free throws in the final 32
seconds.
"Scalabrine has tremendous confidence," Arizona coach Lute
Olson said. "He's a good passer, handles the ball well, he really
showed it tonight. He was the most difficult player on the floor to
guard."
The Trojans led virtually the entire second half, twice going up
by eight points. The Wildcats briefly got back into it with a 13-6
run, including six by Jason Gardner, to trail 69-67 with 1:38 left.
"They're a dangerous team because they're very talented," said
Loren Woods, who had 21 points for the Wildcats. "They played
shorthanded, but they overcame it. They controlled the game from
the outset and kept the tempo slowed down."
USC scored the rest of its points at the free-throw line,
hitting 11 of 12 attempts over the final 1:25 when the Wildcats had
little choice but to foul.
"They came out and played hard. They came up with the big
shots," Gardner said. "They hit big free throws. We couldn't get
over the hump."
Gardner, half of Arizona's freshmen backcourt, led the Wildcats
with a career-high 25 points.
A three-point play by Woods got the Wildcats within two with
12:15 remaining. Granville, playing with three fouls, keyed an 11-5
run with five points to restore USC's advantage to 63-55 with 6:47
left.
"They had so many wide-open shots. They're a tough team to
defend," Woods said.
The Trojans led by one at halftime before Gardner scored
Arizona's first five points of the second half to tie the game at
41.
Bluthenthal took over for USC, scoring six of its next eight
points for a 49-41 advantage.
USC outscored Arizona 30-22 over the final 16:24 of the first
half for a one-point lead at the break.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
USC Clubhouse
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