Big win for the Trojans

CORVALLIS, Ore -- New coach. New lineup. Same Oregon State.

USC appeared more annoyed Thursday by reporters probing potential NCAA violations committed by freshman O.J. Mayo than any problems the last-place Beavers could pose during the Trojans’ 68-44 victory at Gill Coliseum.

In its first game since Coach Jay John was fired and Kevin Mouton took over on an interim basis, Oregon State came together during one stretch late in the first half, rattling off a 15-2 run to pull to within two points at halftime.

But USC, 12-6 overall and 3-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference, used a 13-0 surge to start the second half on the way to its third consecutive victory. The inside tandem of sophomore Taj Gibson (14 points and 14 rebounds) and freshman Davon Jefferson (18 points on nine-for-12 shooting) overwhelmed its Oregon State counterparts.

Defense also was pivotal for the Trojans, who limited the Beavers to 27.7% shooting.

The Trojans remained on the defensive in the locker room afterward, with Coach Tim Floyd becoming increasingly fractious when asked about apparently contradictory statements he had made earlier in the week regarding the free tickets Mayo accepted to a Lakers game.

Tuesday, Floyd told reporters he didn’t know how Mayo got the tickets to Monday’s game between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. A day later, he said he had cleared Mayo to take complimentary tickets from Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, a longtime friend of Mayo’s.

“I didn’t feel like it was any of your business where he got the ticket,” Floyd said Thursday when asked why his story had changed. “And I don’t feel like it’s my job to tell you everything that’s going on within our program. I’ll tell you what I want you to hear.”

Floyd admonished reporters for what he called “created journalism” and said he believed what some had speculated to be a possible NCAA violation committed by Mayo was a non-issue. Mayo also acknowledged earlier this week attending a Clippers game as a guest of USC freshman guard James Dunleavy, whose father, Mike, is the Clippers’ coach.

“The assumption is that the guys at Washington have never been given a ticket to a game by a friend, the guys in the Bay Area have never been given a ticket to go to a game by a friend, that the UCLA players have never been given a ticket by Jordan Farmar, who’s a friend, to go to a game, that the guys at Arizona State have never watched a Suns game at home,” Floyd said.

Mayo, who made a three-pointer during USC’s decisive 13-0 run and finished with a game-high 19 points, declined to address whether the ticket situation had become a distraction.

“No disrespect, but no comment,” he said. “I think we really need to focus on our team and focus on just getting better and focus on Oregon on Saturday and really get prepared for that game.”

A victory over the Ducks would move the Trojans above .500 in Pac-10 play, a nice feat for a team that lost its first three conference games.

Oregon State (6-13, 0-7) has lost nine consecutive games and is still searching for its first Pac-10 victory.

Guard Wallace Lathen came off the bench to lead Oregon State with 11 points. But USC guard Dwight Lewis helped limit Beavers guard Seth Tarver, who had been averaging a team-high 12 points, to only two points on one-for-nine shooting.

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UP NEXT

Saturday at Oregon, McArthur Court, 6 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket -- Two years ago, a late three-pointer by Lodrick Stewart and five free throws from Gabe Pruitt helped USC pull out an 84-78 win at Oregon. Last year, a jumper from Nick Young with 20 seconds left propelled USC to an 84-82 triumph.

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