Puerto Rico no vacation for Trojans

Tim Floyd likes games when he doesn't have to wear a coat and tie.

That was probably the only thing he liked about Thursday's loss to Seton Hall in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.

The 19th-ranked Trojans were upset in a game they had led comfortably for much of the way, but were held to only 18 points in the second half. Underdog Seton Hall hit a three-pointer with 1:19 left to break a 59-59 tie and held on for a 63-61 final despite a wild, last-second attempt by Daniel Hackett from well beyond the arc. Taj Gibson hammered in the rebound, but time had already expired.

Hackett struggled throughout, missing all seven of his field-goal attempts. He did connect on all four shots from the charity stripe and had a game-high eight assists. Freshman DeMar DeRozan was only one for four, with as many points as fouls (three of each). He also turned the ball over twice and had no assists in 20 minutes.

USC got another monster performance out of Gibson, who led in most statistical categories. He finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds in 38 minutes and was the only Trojan who didn't turn the ball over. He was also the only Trojan to establish a presence on the offensive glass, nabbing 10 of the team's 15 offensive on Seton Hall's half of the court. Nobody else on the team had more than one.

Gibson was a late arrival to Puerto Rico because he had to stay behind in Los Angeles to take an exam. The Trojans weren't just glad to see him in this game. Many thought the big man would jump to the NBA after last season, and his presence is critical to USC's success. He's leading the team with an average of 35 minutes, 19.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots.

Unfortunately for USC, he was not joined by forward Alex Stepheson. The North Carolina transfer was hoping to play this season, but the NCAA denied his waiver request and he'll be sitting out for the season.

Without Stepheson, there's a lot of responsibility on Gibson's broad shoulders. He'll have to dominate the post for most of the game and, as the team's biggest regular player, he'll take quite a pounding. Freshman Leonard Washington, who had eight rebounds on Thursday, may alleviate some of the pressure. Stepheson would have alleviated a lot more.

Also ...

• For more on the game and news about USC's two latest signees, click here.
• The Trojans will take on Chattanooga in the next round of the tournament on Friday.
• It was a rough day for the Pac-10. No. 4 UCLA also lost to an unranked team, Michigan, in the semis of the 2K Sports Classic (benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer).

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Andres Leighton/AP