Battered Trojans take a turn beating up Utes
LOS ANGELES ? USC finally won a basketball game Saturday night. In an unrelated note, Trojans coach Kevin O'Neill received a vote of confidence from his boss.
The two aren't connected because USC athletic director Pat Haden isn't judging O'Neill on his win-loss record this season. The Trojans are just 6-16 after beating Utah, 62-45, to end a nine-game losing streak.
"I think everybody's disappointed," Haden said at halftime. "We don't like the way the season has gone. But there are reasons it's gone badly."
USC has been decimated by injuries, the latest befalling 7-foot center Dewayne Dedmon, who likely will miss the rest of the season after injuring his left knee Thursday.
With Dedmon watching from the bench in sweats, USC faced Utah with only six healthy scholarship players. But the Trojans still overwhelmed the Utes (5-16, 2-7 Pac-12) to pick up their first conference victory of the season.
Sophomore forward Garrett Jackson scored a career-high 16 points. Sophomore guard Maurice Jones matched that total, adding five assists and five rebounds.
USC shared the ball (16 assists on 24 baskets) and defended well (36.7 percent shooting by Utah). O'Neill liked the play he saw on the court and enjoyed the vibe he felt in the locker room.
"These guys are happy to win," O'Neill said. "I think they're relieved too. I'm relieved. Towson (State) just broke their streak (a Division I-record 41 games). I thought we were headed for 20."
USC actually is headed to Washington State for a Thursday night game in Pullman. The Trojans venture north with something to feel positive about after a seemingly endless run of injuries and defeats.
"It's definitely been frustrating to see your teammates go down with injuries and everything we've gone through so far," Jackson said. "But we know we can't fall apart. We know we have to stick together."
Utah beat Washington State earlier this season, but that was in Salt Lake City. The Utes are 0-11 away from the Huntsman Center and clearly weren't ready to make the jump to the Pac-12 Conference this season.
Utah allowed notoriously slow-starting and low-scoring USC to jump out to a 16-4 lead. Byron Wesley's banked 3-pointer at the buzzer made it 32-14 at halftime, and the advantage grew as large as 22 points in the second half.
"I'm glad this losing streak is over," O'Neill said. "I've been through many losing streaks in my life. They're hard to deal with. They're especially hard for young people to deal with."
They aren't easy for athletic directors, either. But when asked if O'Neill would be back next season, barring some sort of off-court incident or NCAA violation, Haden didn't hesitate.
"Yes," he said.
Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com
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