USC Lets Oregon State Get Away With 57-51 Win

When guard Ivan Harris scored on a breakaway slam with 3:13 remaining in Thursday night’s game with Oregon State at the Sports Arena, it seemed that USC was surging to a possible victory over Oregon State.

Harris’ basket provided the Trojans with a 47-46 lead, and the Beavers hadn’t scored in 4 1/2 minutes.

However, USC went quietly the rest of the way as OSU freshman guard Gary Payton and junior forward Bill Sherwood made the key baskets to put the Trojans away, 57-51, before a small crowd of 3,828.

USC is now 6-9 overall and 1-6 in the Pacific 10. Oregon State improved to 11-3 and 4-2. Moreover, the Trojans have yet to win their first conference game at home.

After Harris scored, Sherwood, a 6-6 transfer from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, got inside for a three-point play with 2:58 left.

The Trojans, trailing only, 49-47, then muffed an opportunity to draw even when freshman forward Bob Erbst lost the ball with 2:17 to play.

Sherwood hit a 17-foot, straightaway jump shot as the Beavers increased their lead to four points.

USC forward Derrick Dowell countered with two free throws with 1:45 remaining, and then Payton took command. The freshman from Skyline High School in Oakland drove the lane, scored and was fouled.

He completed a three-point play with 1:14 left, and the Beavers were now comfortably ahead, 54-49.

The Trojans then made another ball-handling error as Harris couldn’t make connections with Erbst on a pass, the ball going out of bounds.

Jose Ortiz, OSU’s 6-10, All-Pacific 10 center, then slammed the door on any outside chance of a frantic USC comeback. He scored on a layup with 37 seconds left, and OSU was breezing at 56-49.

“It’s a mortal sin that we lost this game,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “I feel sorry for Ron Righter (assistant coach). It’s the best prepared we’ve been all season. He could not have done a better job of scouting. We just didn’t dance with the girl we came with.”

Raveling was referring to the fact that USC went inside in the first half while building a 31-26 lead, but didn’t try to penetrate in the second half.

“We could stay out there four hours and Oregon State would still not establish an inside defense,” said Raveling, who was obviously upset. “All of a sudden we’re a jump-shooting team. Most of the year we’ve been a second-half team. Tonight when we needed it, we weren’t.”

Ortiz led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He also pulled down 11 rebounds. Dowell paced the Trojans with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Raveling blamed himself for not preparing his team properly in a loss to Stanford here Jan. 5. But he chastised his players Thursday night.

“Until we can do a better job of taking care of the ball and following instructions, it will be a vastly frustrating season for everybody,” he said. “To me, this was the most disappointing loss of the season. And that’s not taking anything away from (OSU Coach) Ralph Miller. He’s a great coach, but tonight was USC’s night to win.”

Oregon State shot 52.2% in the second half, while the Trojans were shooting a cold 30%. But that’s nothing new. USC has been a poor shooting team the entire season.

Raveling just couldn’t understand why his team didn’t do the things in the second half that provided a five-point halftime lead.

“The inside shots were there for us,” he said. “But we got afraid to drive and shoot. You’ve got to get it inside until they prove you can’t do it anymore.

“I just get so frustrated because we deserve a better fate.”