AYUSO'S BIG NIGHT LIFTS USC TO 3-1 IN WIN OVER UCSB : USC 90, UCSB 76.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

USC coach Henry Bibby has been critical of guard Larry Ayuso's play and was pondering moving the junior to the bench before Tuesday game against UC Santa Barbara.

``Larry has not played well,'' Bibby said. ``The bench will help him out. He'll learn quickly. That's the best teacher you can have.''

Ayuso responded to the threat with his best game of the season, scoring aseason-high 18 points as the Trojans defeated UC Santa Barbara 90-76 in front of 2,458 at the Sports Arena.

``I thought he kept us in the basketball game, shooting from the outside,'' Bibby said. ``That's what we're looking for from him.''

Ayuso's defense was nearly as valuable, because he held Santa Barbara guard Raymond Tutt to four points in the first half. Tutt averaged 24 points per game last season but finished with 14.

It was the first time in 12 games Tutt had been held under 20.

The game was almost similar to last week's victory over Loyola Marymount. The Trojans built a 24-point lead in the second half, before Santa Barbara (1-1) cut the advantage to 77-67 with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left. Brandon Payton's three-point shot cut the lead to 82-74 with 1:16 remaining.

But Gary Williams (19 points) scored on a three-point play to put the game away.

That provided little solace for Bibby.

``Again, it's a real young team,'' he said. ``When you're up by 19 or 20 points, you have to put people away. It's a killer instinct you have to have.''

USC (3-1) led 18-17 in the first half when the Trojans went on a 17-2 run that broke the game open. Ayuso scored the first nine points of the spurt for the Trojans.

Ayuso's offense propelled USC to a 41-23 halftime advantage.

Freshman guard Kevin Augustine played 13 minutes, despite being bothered the past two weeks by dizziness and near-fainting spells. Augustine, who scored five points, said he experienced no dizziness during the game.

``I was OK. A little fatigued. I felt a little better today,'' he said. ``I just wanted to get back into the swing of things.''

Notes: Freshman forward Whitney Houser had 14 points and seven rebounds as the USC women's team defeated Long Beach State 84-55 in the debut of new head coach Chris Gobrecht. Houser, from Laguna Hills, made 6 of 7 shots from the field. ``I was definitely surprised,'' Houser said of her debut.