University of Washington
USC
Washington Falls To USC, 87-61
January 06, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2001
LOS ANGELES - USC had three starters on the bench, and still didn't miss much.
Despite Brandon Granville, Brian Scalabrine and Sam Clancy serving a six-minute punishment, the 20th-ranked Trojans shot 75 percent in the first half and went on to an 87-61 victory over Washington on Saturday night.
The trio was benched for missing a bed check Friday night after a card game at the team hotel. Replacements Jarvis Turner, Kostas Charissis and Robert Hutchinson combined for six points.
"Maybe that's the lineup I should use from now on," USC coach Henry Bibby said. "Discipline was very important to me and guys know we can't have any letdowns in any situation."
David Bluthenthal more than picked up the slack, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half when the Trojans made 17 of their first 18 shots.
Bluthenthal tied his career high with five 3-pointers - accounting for half of the Trojans' long-range baskets. The only shot he missed was from half-court at the buzzer, while shooting 5-for-6 from the line in the first half.
"I was in the zone. It felt good," he said. "I'd been making a lot of shots in practice and my confidence level was up."
The Trojans (12-2, 2-0 Pac-10) won their 10th straight at the Sports Arena, including eight this season - their longest streak at home since winning 16 consecutive in the 1992 and '93 seasons.
Scalabrine and Clancy finished with 15 points each.
Washington (6-8, 0-2) limped out of Los Angeles winless after the first weekend of Pac-10 play, and with a four-game losing streak intact.
Will Perkins led the Huskies with 12 points.
"We're not playing defense like we should and that's causing us to struggle because we're not going to outscore many teams," Perkins said. "Bluthenthal was hitting everything. We had a hand in his face, he was just knocking down tough shots."
So hot were the Trojans that Washington shot 50 percent in the first half and still trailed by 21 at the break.
"It's good we can blow a team out because that's something we haven't been doing," Granville said. "The guys that did start set the tone."
The Trojans led by eight when the trio entered the game at 14:24. Scalabrine and Clancy helped out in a 26-3 run, including 10 straight, that put USC ahead 41-14. Three times the Trojans scored off steals, Clancy dunked off an alley-oop pass and Scalabrine hit a hook.
Bluthenthal also had 10 points in the spurt that produced USC's largest lead of the half.
"We talked about how we had to contain his 3-point shooting, his shooting off the dribble, his rebounding and his free-throw shooting," Washington coach Bob Bender said. "The problem is, even if we stop him, USC has so many other ways to hurt you."
The Trojans picked up where they left off to start the second half, scoring the first six points, capped by Bluthenthal's steal and dunk.
The Huskies never got closer than 19 points, and trailed by 30 after a nine-point scoring burst by USC with 3:50 left.
"That performance is what you'd expect from a team like USC," Bender said. "They are very explosive offensively. They are very talented and they just had a rhythm going."
USC's Jeff Trepagnier, who returned Thursday from a nine-game suspension during an NCAA investigation, did not dress after injuring his left ankle against Washington State.
Bibby said Trepagnier could have played, but he wanted to rest him in preparation for four days of practice next week.
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
