Stewart Stays Strong in USC Win

Lodrick Stewart wants to remain at USC.

Really. He means it this time. Just ask him.

Of course, things get a lot rosier when you go for a career-high in points and lead the Trojans to an 87-82 nonconference victory over Brigham Young.

“I just played like I had a point to prove,” said Stewart, a sophomore guard who led USC with 22 points three days after he was expected by the school to transfer. “I told Coach [Henry] Bibby when I was a senior in high school that I made a commitment and I was going to play all four years.

“I’m just trying to win games for Coach Bibby and for our team, no matter how tough it gets.”

Saturday night in front of 2,163 at the Sports Arena, things got downright nasty for the Trojans, who blew a 17-point second-half lead but survived to even their record at 2-2.

USC trailed by two, 62-60, with less than 10 minutes to play, led by 11, 76-65, with less than six minutes to go and had to survive another furious BYU rush at the end, when the Cougars trailed by two, 81-79, had the ball and attempted a three-point basket.

“It says a lot about the character of the team,” Bibby said. “We didn’t give up. We kept fighting out there.

“I think we learned a lot this week back East, learned a lot about our basketball team.”

Bibby was referring to the Trojans’ two-game swing at North Carolina and La Salle, two programs on different levels who gave USC the same painful result -- embarrassing defeats.

This made beating the Cougars, who pounded USC en route to the NCAA tournament last year, all the more pleasurable, even if BYU is rebuilding.

BYU (1-5) was led by sophomore guard Jimmy Balderson, who had 22 points.

“It feels good” to score a career high, said Stewart, who had plans on quitting the team after being held scoreless and committing three turnovers in 17 lackluster minutes at La Salle on Tuesday.

“It feels better to get the win. I’m not used to losing. Everybody played together; I love that. We’re so deep, I can go for 20, Gregg [Guenther] can go for 20, all the way down to the walk-ons.

“I just wanted to stick it out.”

Bibby started an all-freshmen backcourt of Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young, and the two paid dividends throughout.

It was Young’s three-pointer from the right wing in transition that had given the Trojans their game-high 17-point lead, 53-36, less than three minutes into the second half.

But just as suddenly as the Trojans had found their shooting stroke, they lost it. Compounding matters was Pruitt’s sitting out after splitting the skin at his thumbnail.

BYU, meanwhile, took advantage, going on a 24-5 run over the next six-plus minutes. Suddenly, the formerly down-and-out Cougars had a two-point lead, 60-58.

Pruitt reentered with his thumb treated and re-energized the Trojans, and after the teams traded free throws, USC embarked on a 16-3 run and led by 11 points, 76-65, with 6:13 to play.

The Cougars, however, would not go away, BYU climbing back to within two points, 81-79, with less than a minute to go. Mike Rose’s deep three-point attempt from the right wing with 25.5 seconds to play hit the front of the rim and the rebound was knocked out of bounds by a teammate as USC breathed a sigh of relief.

On the inbounds, Pruitt found Stewart and as he broke for the basket, his jersey was grabbed by BYU’s Derek Dawes, who was whistled for an intentional foul.

Stewart made both free throws with 18 seconds left to give him his career high.