USC
Saint Mary's (Diamond Head Classic)
USC Downs Saint Mary's 60-49
December 23, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2009
HONOLULU (AP) - Mike Gerrity scored 17 points and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points with seven rebounds to lead Southern California to a 60-49 win over Saint Mary's in a Diamond Head Classic semifinal game Wednesday.
The Trojans (7-4) fell behind early, but took the lead for good on a Marcus Johnson basket with 11:09 left in the first half, which ignited a 19-5 USC run.
The Gaels (10-2) were held to a season low in scoring and shot just 30 percent (16-for-53) from the field.
USC opened the second half with a 6-0 run, which was capped by a 17-foot jumper by Vucevic to give the Trojans their largest lead at 39-23. Saint Mary's closed within 47-43 with 4:48 left on a Mickey McConnell layup, but Gerrity drained a 3-pointer on USC's next trip down the floor.
Leonard Washington, who sat out the first semester with academic issues and was cleared to play in the morning, had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 21 minutes.
McConnell had 17 points and Omar Samhan added 13 for Saint Mary's.
