USC Offense Goes From Bad to Worse : College basketball: Trojans shoot 26% during the second half in a 68-57 loss to Oregon State.

Following Ralph Miller at Oregon State is a lot like coming after John Wooden at UCLA. Both were legendary coaches.

Although Jim Anderson’s Beavers are off to a fast start in the Pacific 10 Conference, he hears the boos in Gill Coliseum, where Miller coached from 1971-89.

There were jeers before the Beavers played host to USC on Thursday night and when they trailed by three points at the half. But all was forgiven when Oregon State, thanks to some of the Trojans’ worst shooting this season in the second half, pulled away for a 68-57 victory.

The Trojans shot only 42% in the first half and fell off to 26% in the second. The leading three-point shooting team in the nation, USC made only four of 19 attempts from long range.

Two of these were on consecutive shots by Phil Glenn and Rodney Chatman in the last minute of the half.

Another long shot by Chatman gave USC, 8-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference, a 52-51 lead with 8:35 to play. Then the Trojans really went cold.

Despite getting open shots, the Trojans had only one more basket in the game. Lorenzo Orr, who gave USC scoring punch inside and finished with 17 points, made a close-in shot that he converted into a three-point play with 5:08 to play. That cut the lead to 57-55.

Scott Haskin, who finished with 22 points, and Charles McKinney, who had 16, outscored the Trojans in the closing minutes to make it look like an easy victory.

USC also went cold for a spell in the second half of an eight-point loss to Arizona, at 3-0 co-leader in the conference with Oregon State.

“I’m concerned with the way we handled the ball late in those games,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “To play so well against teams of that caliber, then fail to finish them off is discouraging.

“The Beavers played well, and Jimmy did a great job. But we’re going to have to reassess what we do late in tight games.”

The Beavers, 7-5 overall, shot 57% in the first half, but trailed. They fell off to 45% in the second half, but pulled away. The Trojans made only one of their last 11 shots.

Most of the Trojan points were scored inside, many after offensive rebounds. USC had a 38-25 rebounding edge, 21-5 in offensive rebounds.

None of the Trojans, who shoot three-pointers with confidence at home, shot well from long range Thursday. Dwayne Hackett, who has more three-pointers than any college player, was zero for three, Glenn, among the leaders in percentage, was two for six and Chatman was two for eight.

Anderson, whose team has won five games in a row after a slow start, said the boos did not bother him.

“I guess it’s tough following a legend,” he laughed, “but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve been coaching 34 years, and I don’t worry.”