USC

by John Chase

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Final Score: UW-60 USC-62

A terrible way to end the season as well as senior night. Justin Holiday went scoreless the entire game, while Venoy Overton did everything in his power to will this team to a victory.

Rebounding and free throws killed us tonight. USC out rebounded UW 36-25. UW missed 6 free throws including a few huge ones down the stretch when the Dawgs were trying to fight back from 12 down.

UW handled the ball well, only turning the ball over 7 times. They dished out 8 assists on 21 makes. UW also had 6 blocks and steals on top of 11 forced turnovers. Overton was a Venoying machine out there and was critical down the stretch. At one point Romar pulled Overton out and Holiday told Romar “We need him.” Romar then chewed him out. I’m on Holiday’s side. Overton was the reason we came back. He made 4-6 from the field and 7-9 from the line.

Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning continued to struggle with their shooting. MBA was 5-11 and I.T. was 5-13. Holiday was 0-6, 0-3 from range. Our shooting woes were another reason we lost this game. 39% shooting on the night and 2-16 from outside is not going to win a game when compounded with the free throw and rebounding issues. Scott Suggs shot well on the other hand. 6-8, 2-3 behind the arc. C.J. Wilcox collapsed again. 1-7 from the field, 0-5 from range. Ugly.

Terrence Ross did not play tonight. Not sure the reason yet. This is extremely puzzling especially when one considers he was the reason we beat USC on the road at the onset of the Pac-10 season. Aziz played a team low 12 minutes and was hardly used in the second half. Aziz had 0 shots attempted, 0 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 fouls. Useless tonight. He was just plain outclassed by the extremely strong duo of Alex Stephenson and Nikola Vucevic who combined for 24 boards and 30 points.

The crowd was dead tonight. I don’t know what has been going on, but the general fan base has been extremely apathetic and it kills me that it continued into Senior Night. Yes, I know the Huskies got down early, but being quiet is only supporting the opposing team.

What Needed Improvement

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The USC Trojans (8-5, 16-9 overall) defeated the Washington Huskies (7-7, 17-9) Thursday night, 67-64, at Hec Ed.

The Least You Should Know:

This one looked to be headed for a blowout when USC built a 16-point lead with 9:05 remaining in the game, but the Huskies went into a full-court press and fought back, getting as close as a single point before falling in the game’s final moments after two clutch shots by USC guard Mike Gerrity.

Dwight Lewis owned the Huskies in the first half, scoring 16 of his 22 in the opening 20 minutes.

Other than Quincy Pondexter (18 points, seven rebounds), Matthew Bryan-Amaning was the Huskies’ best player tonight, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Analysis and observations:

Ugh. Tough, tough loss for the Dawgs who fall back to the middle of the Pac-10. There’s little doubt now that the Huskies must win the Pac-10 Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

After seeing the out-of-town scores, it turns out that this was an even more costly loss for the Huskies because of what they could’ve gained by winning. With Cal losing at Oregon State, the Huskies would’ve closed within a game of first place with a victory tonight.

The full-court press was the key decision Coach Romar made that helped the Huskies avoid a blowout loss. I can’t help but wonder whether the Huskies should’ve been playing more full-court pressure all season. By this point, the tactic would’ve been old hat, as opposed to something the Dawgs have only practiced on rare game-time occasions.

It felt like every time the Trojans needed a basket they were able to grab offensive rebounds and create two- and three-shot possessions, eventually getting the bucket they needed. The Dawgs were simply overmatched in the paint.

It’s easy to second-guess after a heartbreaking loss. But in a game the Huskies were trailing for the entire second half, why didn’t the coaches ensure we’d fouled USC into the bonus before the game’s final moments? The Dawgs wasted at least 2-3 seconds chasing USC on two intentional non-shooting fouls. In a game this close, I would’ve loved to have that time back.

Another very good game from Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and looks more confident and aggressive. Even if time is running out on the Dawgs’ 2009/2010 season, MBA’s play is a great sign for 2010/2011.

Some uncharacteristic play from a few Huskies tonight, both good and bad. Good: Abdul Gaddy (six points, 3-9 shooting) looked more aggressive offensively. Nice to see him play with confidence late in an up-and-down freshman year. Bad: A career-high five turnover night for Justin Holiday.

If there’s a bright side, or an understandable side, to tonight’s loss, it’s that the Trojans may be the most dangerous team in the conference. Take your Cal and your ASU, but if USC could go to a post-season tournament, my money would be on them over any of this year’s other Pac-10 squads.

Isaiah Thomas spent crunchtime planted on the bench, and finished with only five points. With Venoy Overton’s on-ball skills necessary to guard point guard Mike Gerrity, there simply wasn’t a place for I.T. and, result aside, the Husky comeback says to me that Romar was right to have Elston Turner in there during that key stretch.

Saturday’s game against UCLA is the last home game of the year, and Quincy Pondexter’s last game ever at Hec Ed. Unless…

The Huskies, now firmly outside the NCAA bubble, could wind up in the CBI Tournament, which might mean one or more games at Hec Ed. That’s obviously not the outcome anyone wants from this season, but it happened two years ago when the Huskies lost to Valpo at Hec Ed in the first-ever CBI. Just something to keep in mind during the season’s last three weeks.

Thanks for coming!