USC
Northwestern
Trojans Pound Northwestern
December 29, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 1999
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - David Bluthenthal, Brandon Granville and Jeff Trepagnier each scored 20 points and Southern California defeated Northwestern 85-44 Wednesday night, equaling its most lopsided victory of the season.
The Trojans (7-5) used a mix of full-court pressure and tenacious man-to-man defense against the youthful Wildcats in the teams' first meeting since 1965.
They harrassed Northwestern into 16 of its 23 turnovers in the first half when the Wildcats (4-6) fell out of contention and trailed 47-18 at the break.
USC had 15 steals and a season-high 10 blocks.
Tavaras Hardy and Winston Blake each scored nine points for Northwestern, which was playing its first game in 10 days. Hardy and fellow starters Steve Lepore and Collier Drayton played most of the second half in foul trouble.
The Trojans opened the second half with a 15-7 run, including consecutive baskets off steals by Trepagnier and Bluthenthal, for a 62-25 lead.
Down 79-35 with five minutes remaining, the Wildcats put together their only run of the game with seven straight points. But USC answered with six consecutive points to close out its scoring and equal the 41-point margin of victory it recorded in a win over Long Beach State earlier this month.
