USC
Washington
USC Falls To No. 12 Washington, 84-59
January 06, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2005
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tre Simmons scored 22 points and No. 12 Washington defeated USC 84-59 Thursday night for its ninth consecutive victory.
The Huskies (13-1, 3-0 Pac-10) are off to their best start in 29 years. The last Washington team with a longer winning streak was the 1982 squad that won 10 in a row.
The Trojans (7-7) have yet to win a Pac-10 game under interim coach Jim Saia, getting swept on the road at Oregon last week. The 0-3 mark is their worst conference start since they began 0-4 in 1991, but still made the NCAA tournament.
Freshman Nick Young scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the Trojans.
Washington raced to a 10-0 lead as the Trojans went 5{ minutes before scoring. The Huskies scored 20 points off USC's 17 first-half turnovers and they were 14-0 in second-chance baskets.
USC trailed by 18 points three times in the first half and was down 36-19 at the break.
The Huskies dominated the start of the second half with a 10-3 run to take a 46-22 lead. USC answered with a 14-3 spurt, including five points by Young, but it barely put a dent in the Trojans' deficit as they trailed 49-34.
USC never made any kind of run in the second half, when the deficit was 20 points most of the way.
Washington's Mike Jensen was in foul trouble most of the second half, but still finished with 14 points. Bobby Jones fouled out with 5:41 to play after scoring eight points.
The Huskies have won four of their last five against USC after losing seven in a row.
USC fell to 1-6 when they score under 70 points. They are 5-5 since Saia took over a month ago after Henry Bibby was fired.
The Trojans are still without guard Errick Craven, who has a sprained right ankle.
USC's cheerleaders wore white sweaters with oranges on the front, signifying the Trojans' Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma on Tuesday for football's national championship.
