Oregon State
USC
Oregon State Runs Into Hot USC Squad
January 29, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2000
By TARA BURGHART
Associated Press Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State's Deaundra Tanner was bewildered - so he asked some Southern California players to clear up the confusion.
"I know some of those guys personally, and I asked them what in the world was going on," Tanner said after the 23-ranked Trojans set a new Pacific-Ten Conference record by making 20-of-29 3-pointers in a 82-69 win over the Beavers on Saturday.
"I've never seen any of them shoot like that, regardless of the situation," Tanner said. "There wasn't a shot any of them didn't like. It was unbelievable."
The Trojans didn't have much of an answer for Tanner - except that all five starters were hot, each making a minimum of three 3-pointers.
"Guys were wide open. We were knocking them down, so I figured we might as well keep going to it," said Brandon Granville, who led the Trojans with 21 points, including 5-of-7 from long range.
"I thought Oregon State played a pretty solid game, but when teams shoot like that it's hard to compete with them," said Nate Hair, who scored 14 for USC.
The Trojans (13-6, 6-1 Pac-10) opened the second half by hitting their first 11 shots from the field - including nine 3-pointers - to expand a seven-point halftime advantage into 70-44 lead with 11:48 to play.
Fans of the Beavers (10-8, 2-5) started chanting "Miss! Miss! Miss!" but USC didn't until 10:26 remained to be played.
USC broke the conference record of 18 3-pointers set by Washington State against Seattle in 1990. USC's previous best was 15, set in 1992 and matched in 1998.
"I've never seen anything like that," Granville said. "To experience it for the first time with my team, that's the way to do it."
Jeff Trepagnier and David Bluthenthal scored 17 points for the Trojans, who have won 10 of 12 games. Brian Scalabrine added 13 points
"The basketball game is a game of runs and a game of streak shooting. That's what we did," USC coach Henry Bibby said.
USC, which earlier lost its top scorer and top reserve for the season to injuries, played its five starters until the final minutes.
The Beavers, who have lost five straight at home, were led by Tanner with 17 points. Jason Heide had 12 points and Josh Steinthal 11.
The Beavers were 10-of-24 from 3-point range.
The Beavers took a 14-8 lead, making 4-of-5 3-pointers in the first five minutes.
But 3-pointers by Bluthenthal and Hair and three 3-pointers by Granville over the next 10 minutes helped the Trojans to a 31-24 lead.
They stretched that to 39-28 on a basket by Trepagnier and 3-pointers by Trepagnier and Bluthenthal, but the Ducks scored the last two baskets of the half to trail 39-32.
Oregon State coach Eddie Payne said it seemed like nothing the Beavers did could stop the Trojans' 3-pointers.
"They hit them in transition, they hit them off the dribble, they hit them off the catch," he said. "I've haven't seen anything like it."
But Granville said he knows the Trojans will be hard pressed to ever repeat their 3-point performance.
"We still know that we have to get some easier shots and try to get points in transition," he said. "You can't live and die by this."
