SoCal High School & Prep Tournament Update

Trojans Make It Three In A Row, Beat UCSB--(November 26, 1997)

USC beat up on UCSB in it's home opener, and Guard Larry Ayuso led a 17-2 first-half run, as the Trojans now 3-1 ran away with the victory, 90-76. Ayuso made 11 of those 17 points, turning a one-point lead into a 41-23 halftime lead. Ayuso had 18 in the game. USC forward Gary Williams led all scoring with 19 points, followed by Jarvis Turner, with 15, guard Gary Johnson with 13 points, 8 assists and 6 steals. Ayuso also played brilliantly on defense, holding UCSB's Raymond Tutt to only 14 points, Prior to this game, Tutt had a 12 game streak in which he had scored more than 20 points. Bibby insisted on running the full and half court trap and press most of the game, which threw the Gaucho's into fits, and forcing 23 turnovers.

Coach Bibby said after the game, "It's a young team, a real young team. We have a tendency to relax and not stay focused. It's the killer instinct we have to have. We hold them to 23 at halftime, which is very, very good. In the second half they score 53...and our defense broke down. I thought Ayuso kept us in the game. He can do that. And we have to have it. We talked to him tonight about letting the game come to him. And he played great defense on Tutt. At half, he had four points. Larry worked him hard."

USC's next game is at San Diego State, this Saturday, November 29th at 7:00 p.m.

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