There’s a Downside to Trojan Thrill Ride

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Adam Spanich had a chance to win the game in regulation. Elias Ayuso had a chance for the tie in overtime.

But USC did not pack quite enough miracles in its bags for the trip north this weekend.

So, two days after a stunning victory over Oregon, the Trojans came up short on a handful of last-second shots and lost to Oregon State in overtime, 69-66, at Gill Coliseum on Saturday night.

“That’s just the game of basketball,” said Spanich, who could not re-create the heroic shooting with which he beat Oregon. “It’s almost like a roller coaster.”

And, for the Trojans, Corvallis is the scariest theme park of them all. Oregon State has taken them to overtime in three of their last five visits. And Oregon State has beaten them all three times.

On this occasion, with the crowd of 7,196 still buzzing over the Beavers’ defeat of UCLA two nights earlier, it was Oregon State guard Deaundra Tanner who made the difference.

USC had kept Tanner under wraps for most of the second half, following him everywhere, denying him the ball, but the 6-foot-2 Los Angeles native broke loose to score all 10 of his team’s points in overtime.

“I was in a zone and any look I had, I was going to shoot it,” said Tanner, who led all scorers with 27 points. “I wasn’t going to let them take me out of this game.”

The victory improved the Beavers’ record to 8-5, 2-2 in Pacific 10 Conference play. It gave them a sweep of the Los Angeles schools and cast considerable doubt on their reputation as conference bottom-dwellers.

For USC (10-3, 2-2), the loss left the coaches and players wondering how they could have let the game slip away.

“We gave it away,” Spanich said. “We just gave it to them.”

Not that USC underestimated the Beavers, who have one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, limiting opponents to 35% shooting from the field, and two shooters in Tanner and Josh Steinthal.

That tandem staked Oregon State to an early lead with a string of three-point baskets, Steinthal starting on his way to 20 points. It was deja vu for USC, which gave up bunches of long-range shots at Oregon.

The Trojans did their best to force the pace, trying to run off quick steals by Ayuso and forward Sam Clancy’s blocked shots. Forward Jeff Trepagnier, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds, got out of the blocks with an alley-oop dunk and a fastbreak layup.

That, and some outside shooting from guard Brandon Granville, kept the score close as Oregon State led, 36-30, going into the second half. That’s when USC turned up the heat on Tanner and took control.

The Trojans went on a 7-0 run thanks to a Trepagnier dunk and center Brian Scalabrine’s steady foul shooting. Scalabrine was frustrated early against Oregon State’s 7-foot center, George von Backstrom, but found a way to score a team-high 15 points. USC held a 53-48 lead with six minutes remaining.

Then came critical mistakes with time winding down.

Granville, who had played well enough to have 13 points and seven assists, missed a free throw that would have given his team a three-point lead with 9.4 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds play, USC left Oregon State center Jason Heide wide open under the basket to tie the score, 59-59.

“We didn’t play smart at the end,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We really hurt ourselves.”

When Spanich missed a 21-foot shot at the buzzer, the Beavers had new life and Tanner wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

“We’re proving something to everybody who didn’t believe we could compete in this conference,” he said.

Tanner proved it with long shots, finishing five for five from three-point range. He proved it with clutch free throws. His final basket, a three-pointer with 1:08 left, had the crowd roaring and USC reeling.