A VALIANT EFFORT, BUT NO WIN FOR SC ARIZONA 92, USC 85.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. - Another inspired effort against Arizona, but the way things are going for USC these days, even that wasn't enough to pull off an improbable sweep of the fourth-ranked Wildcats.

USC had Arizona, which has lost only to the Trojans in Pacific-10 Conference play, staggering several times late but couldn't find enough offense to deliver a knockout blow in a 92-85 loss to the Wildcats before 14,531 at McKale Center Thursday.

The Trojans had a chance to tie the game with in the final minute, after Brandon Granville hit a 3-pointer to cut Arizona's lead to 88-85. Jeff Trepagnier stripped Arizona forward Michael Wright of the ball with 41.1 seconds remaining, and Brian Scalabrine recovered.

But Trepagnier's 3-point attempt with 23 seconds left bounced off the rim, and the Trojans were unable to score again.

``I was wide open,'' Trepagnier said. ``I just didn't knock it down.'' Scalabrine led USC with 28 points and eight rebounds while Trepagnier had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Granville had 21 points and 11 assists.

Former Grant High of Van Nuys star Gilbert Arenas had 21 points to lead the Wildcats.

``Who would have thought that? We were in the ball game,'' USC coach Henry Bibby said. ``We had a chance to win at the end. I can't ask for any more than that.''

The Trojans were hampered by Scalabrine's foul problems. He picked his fourth foul with 10:59 left and had a game-high 22 points at the time.

USC (13-10, 6-5) kept the Wildcats' crowd out of the game in the first half, leading nearly the entire way, and holding on to a 43-39 halftime advantage. After Arizona scored the first basket of the game, the Trojans reeled off nine straight points and stayed ahead the rest of the half.

Scalabrine scored 13 of the Trojans' first 24 points, and USC made 9 of its first 14 field goals. The Trojans shot 64.3 percent in the half, their best 20-minute performance of the season.

They actually shot better from the field than on free throws (57.1 percent).

Trepagnier's 3-point shot with 10:31 left gave the Trojans their biggest lead, 27-18.

But Arizona point guard Jason Gardner quickly hit a jumper, Richard Anderson made a follow shot and Gardner hit a short jumper to bring the Wildcats back within three points (27-24).

The Trojans found themselves in a precarious foul situation in the first half, after Scalabrine picked up his third foul with 3:31 remaining. Trepagnier already had two fouls at that point, and Bibby was forced to improvise his lineup.

Immediately after Scalabrine's foul, he went with little-used Malachi Thurston, Rashad Jones, Kostas Charissis along with starters Granville and David Bluthenthal.

Bibby eventually returned Scalabrine to the lineup, and he led the Trojans with 16 first-half points. Granville added 15.

USC also got an unexpected lift from Charissis, who four assists and three rebounds in the first half. By the second half, when he already had a career-high nine points and career-high seven rebounds with three minutes left, it was apparent he had played his best game of the season.

Arenas led the Wildcats (22-4, 11-1) with 10 points in the half.

The Trojans avoided a possible technical foul in the first half thanks to an alert play by Granville. After Thurston checked in for Trepagnier, the senior did not leave the court. The Trojans had six players on the floor, and play was briefly stopped,but Granville quickly stepped off the court before the officials had figured out there were too many players in the game.

--Notes: It was the briefest media boycott in history. USC coach Henry Bibby told forward Brian Scalabrine before the game not to talk to the media for the next two weeks.

Bibby has been bothered by some of Scalabrine's recent comments regarding whether USC's players have experienced fatigue, especially a remark that Bibby did not allow the players to get tired.

Scalabrine also made earlier this week that USC ``was not getting any spark from the bench.'' Bibby has instituted media bans for players before, but they usually don't last long.

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Photo: (color) Arizona's Luke Walton tries to pass around USC's Brian Scalabrine Thursday in the Wildcats 92-85 win over the Trojans

John Miller/Associated Press