January 26, 2009 | 11:00
am
Late news out of Pullman, Wash. (the Pony Express can get here only so fast from the wilderness):
USC's 46-44 victory over Washington State on Saturday was the first time the Trojans have won a game scoring 46 or fewer points since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was Lew Alcindor. USC beat UCLA, 46-44, on March 8, 1969, when Ernie Powell hit a jump shot in the final seconds. It ended USC's 17-game losing streak to UCLA. It also was the Bruins' first loss in Pauley Pavilion and snapped UCLA's 41-game winning streak and its 45-game Pac 10 winning streak. The price of that game? USC didn't beat UCLA again until 1980. Of course, USC was trying not to score too many points that night, employing stall tactics. Current Coach Tim Floyd would have loved a whole bunch more on Saturday.
USC demonstrated great offensive skill in Pullman ... in football. The Trojans' football team scored 48 points in 39 minutes, 25 seconds in a 69-0 victory last fall. USC's basketball team managed only 46 points in 40 minutes.
Washington State lags in Nikola development, judging by last week's games. First, UCLA's Nikola Dragovic scores 20 points in a 61-59 victory, then USC's Nikola Vucevic drops by Pullman and gets eight points and five rebounds to help USC to victory. Meanwhile, the Cougars' Nikola Koprivica went scoreless in both games.
-- Chris Foster
Photo: In the second half of Saturday's game, Washington State forward Caleb Forrest, center, tries to get off a shot as Nikola Vucevic, left, and Taj Gibson, right, try to stop him. Credit: Dean Hare / Associated Press
