STANFORD — The apocalypse hit at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion on Saturday night, the end of times dawning, leaving USC’s bench shell-shocked and beaten weary as their program crumbled before the eyes of thousands.
This was a group that fought, Andy Enfield said in the back corridors of Cal’s Haas Pavilion after a grueling overtime loss Wednesday night. They were flawed, yes. But they played with heart, rarely letting games slip away, battling to the bitter end against a ruthless crowd at Cal, frustrated in the locker room after the eventual loss. They cared. I think they’re going to come out Saturday, Enfield said on Wednesday, and play as hard as they can.
USC came out Saturday and collapsed.
They caved, completely, within just a few minutes of a 99-68 evisceration by Stanford, walking into Maples and watching helplessly as cardinal-red hearts were snatched with every cold-blooded triple from an array of Cardinals.
No downhill drives by freshman Isaiah Collier or shot-making by senior Boogie Ellis or tinkering by head coach Andy Enfield could save them; the loss was written in drooped shoulders, in exasperated hand-wringing by assistant coaches and barking amid players by the end of the first half, sinking amid a 25-0 run that stood as the lowest point in a season of low points.
It was an amalgamation, really, of USC’s fatal flaws, all combining to crumble what little hope remained at an end-of-season run through the Pac-12. All season long, Trojan ball-handlers had struggled with turnovers; they combined for 10 in the first half, Collier flinging one head-scratching pass off the scorer’s table in a miscommunication.
All season long, Trojan bigs had struggled to grab rebounds; Kijani Wright led the contingent with a whopping four against Stanford, dominated again on the glass for second-chance Cardinal buckets. All season long, Trojan shooters had struggled with free-throws; they went just 2-of-8 from the line and 10-for-21 on the game,…
Read the full article here
