By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 6, 1998

USC upsets Arizona in OT

LOS ANGELES (AP)-Popeye had his spinach, Southern Cal had its Spanich.

USC's Adam Spanich hit three pointer as time expired in regulation and overtime last night to give the trojans a thrilling 91-90 win at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

The Wildcats turned the ball over 19 times, were out rebounded 25-16 on the offensive boards and could not stop the Trojan's outside shootinbg attack as they watched their 19 game winning streak and hopes of an undefeated conference season slip away faster than you can say letdown.

Spanich's three-pointer however, should not have even been a factor had Arizona hit its free throws. It makes you wonder why they call them "free" throws. The Wildcats were 7 of 18 from the line and hit just one free throw in the first half.

"When you look at the story of the game, you have to look at the free throws," Arizona head coach Lute Olson said.

Jason Terry's short jumper with 6.9 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a 90-88 lead. USC got the ball into the frontcourt before a pass was deflected out-of-bounds with 2.8 seconds left.

The Trojans inbounded to Spanich, who got his shot off from the left wing. It hit both the rim and backboard before falling through at the buzzer.

The loss prevented defending national champion Arizona (26-4, 16-1 Pac-10) from possibly becoming the first team to go unbeaten since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1978.

"First of all, I think the team that played the hardest won the basketball game," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. 'USC deserves the credit. It just seemed like they were where the ball was.

"I'm not shocked. When we watched USC on tape, we had a hard time figuring out how they were 3-13 (in conference play). This is a team, I think, that can play with anybody."

The Trojans (8-19, 4-13) snapped a seven-game losing streak. They had lost 11 of their previous 12 games.

"This is the game we've been waiting for," USC coach Henry Bibby said. "It makes our season, especially considering where they are in the Pac-10 and they were undefeated. I said all along, if we execute, we'd be OK."

Gary Johnson led the Trojans with 27 points before fouling out. Jarvis Turner, who also fouled out, equaled his career high with 19 points and had 11 rebounds for USC.

Michael Dickerson led Arizona with 26 points and Mike Bibby, the son of the USC coach, added 20 points for the Wildcats.

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 19 UCLA

(26-4, 16-1 Pac-10) (22-7, 12-5)

When: Tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles

TV/Radio: The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net and broadcast live by KNST (AM 790)

What: The Wildcats are coming off their first loss since Dec. 23 at Florida St.- Arizona defeated UCLA in its conference opener this season, an 87-75 victory at McKale Center - The Wildcats have lost their last four games at Pauley Pavilion - The Bruins are the only Pac-10 team to hold an advantage over Arizona, owning a 34-19 overall record against the Wildcats