Trojans finish the job this time

If this keeps up, they’re going to have to equip every seat at the Galen Center with a defibrillator.

USC played host to another heart-stopping finish Thursday night, and this time the Trojans got the ending right during an 80-73 victory over No. 11 Arizona.

Even though USC missed five of 10 free throws in the last 46 seconds, the Trojans still managed to hang on for their fourth victory over a ranked team because of a strong defensive effort in which they limited the Wildcats to 38.3% shooting.

Students from the season-high crowd of 9,725 rushed the floor to celebrate a triumph that moved USC into a tie with Washington State and California for third place in the Pacific 10 Conference standings. The Trojans, 14-5 overall and 4-2 in the conference, closed a particularly grueling stretch of conference games with twice as many wins as losses.

Up next: a game against last-place Arizona State.

“We’re tired of being the underdog. We want respect,” said USC junior swingman Nick Young, who scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the second half.

USC improved to 4-2 against ranked teams, its most victories over such opponents since beating six during the 2001-02 season. The Trojans also proved they could defeat the Wildcats outside the confines of the Sports Arena, where USC had won six of the last 10 meetings.

“Any time you can beat an Arizona team, it is special,” Trojans Coach Tim Floyd said. “It’s a big confidence builder for our guys.”

Sophomore forward Marcus Williams and senior guard Mustafa Shakur had 19 points apiece for the Wildcats (13-4, 4-3), whose Pac-10 title were dealt a blow after losing for the third time in four games. Up next for Arizona: third-ranked UCLA.

For 35 minutes, the game resembled USC’s agonizing defeats against Washington State and UCLA, in which the Trojans built 10-point leads midway through the second half only to fritter away the advantage and lose on last-second shots.

The Trojans led the Wildcats, 54-44, with 10:59 to play after junior guard Gabe Pruitt fed Young with an alley-oop pass for a dunk. Sure enough, Arizona cut the deficit to 66-64 with 4:44 left when senior forward Ivan Radenovic converted a three-point play after making a layup and drawing a foul. That’s when USC sophomore forward Keith Wilkinson made a three-pointer from the corner with the shot clock winding down to extend the Trojans’ advantage back to five points.

“He hadn’t made one in about a year and a half,” Floyd joked of Wilkinson. “But he picked a good time to make one.”

Wilkinson might have been emboldened by the fact that he no longer has to worry about whether he’ll have a scholarship waiting for him his last two seasons. Last week, Floyd notified Wilkinson, a lightly recruited player out of high school who had been on a year-to-year scholarship, that his scholarship was secure for the remainder of his time at the school.

“I haven’t made one in a big moment like that,” Wilkinson said of only the second three-pointer he had converted this season.

But the Wildcats didn’t fade just yet, drawing to within 73-69 with 1:13 left on a pair of free throws by Radenovic, and Trojans fans weren’t the only ones stirring restlessly.

“I got nervous when it got down,” Young said of the lead. “I was thinking about the UCLA game.”

But USC’s games against the Bruins and the Wildcats took different paths in the final minute. Young, who made nine of 11 shots from the field in the second half, stepped up and made a pair of free throws with 56 seconds to go and Arizona never threatened again.

“That’s the Nick I know,” said USC senior guard Lodrick Stewart, who had 18 points and made the 200th three-pointer of his career. “Explosive, doing everything. He just helped us out tonight.”

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