CLANCY'S RARE PEP TALK DOESN'T GET TOO FANCY USC 64, OREGON ST. 51.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Normally content to register his nightly double-double and move on to the postgame pizza, USC forward Sam Clancy transformed himself into a role never before seen: The Vocal Leader.

Too bad there wasn't a TV camera in sight to capture the moment Thursday night, because Clancy delivered his most emotional speech of the season as he gathered his teammates in a circle and yelled at them to stop Oregon State's second-half comeback.

``I've never really called the huddle before,'' Clancy said. ``At that point in the game, they were on a run and I felt I had to be a leader.''

Clancy's unprecedented outburst came with USC leading by 10 points, and the Trojans protected their advantage to defeat the Beavers 64-51 before 6,065 at Gill Coliseum.

``That was a big point in this game,'' Clancy said. ``I wanted to get Desmon (Farmer), Rory (O'Neil) and Errick (Craven) together.''

Every game is becoming bigger and bigger for the Trojans (16-4, 8-2). By defeating the Beavers, USC sets up the battle for first place in the Pacific-10 Conference on Saturday against Oregon (16-5, 8-2).

``I would say this is the biggest game we've had as far as being in first place,'' forward David Bluthenthal said of the matchup.

Said Clancy: ``This is one of the biggest game's of the year for us. To see if we deserve to be in first place in the Pac-10.''

But before answering that question, the Trojans had to take a baby step against struggling Oregon State (10-10, 3-7). With memories of last year's 15-point loss fresh to the team, USC coach Henry Bibby applied a full-court press from the tipoff to avoid a slow start.

And just as in the previous game against Stanford, the press eventually paid off. USC reeled of a 16-0 run in the first half to take a 26-11 lead with 4:45 left. Bluthenthal scored all of his 11 points in that streak, including a pair of 3-point field goals.

``I can't explain the press. It works,'' Craven said. ``Teams get frustrated. A lot of players aren't good enough to play with a hand in their face.''

USC kept its 15-point lead at halftime before becoming sluggish in the second half. The Beavers outscored them 21-9 to pull within nine points (54-45) but were never able to get closer.

``I wouldn't say we got bored,'' Clancy said. ``They played a zone defense and we were lackadaisical. They went on a little run, but we came back with one of our own.''

The Trojans' comeback came after Clancy's verbal contribution, and it didn't hurt that he chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds. He stopped Oregon State's momentum with a thunderous dunk while being fouled by forward Philip Ricci and converted the free throw to boost the lead back to 12 points (57-45) with four minutes left.

``I jumped and it seemed like he pushed me up higher and it was a pretty easy dunk,'' Clancy said.

Point guard Brandon Granville also had 17 points, including three field goals from 3-point range.

By avoiding an upset, the Trojans ensured a split and now set up perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the still-early Pac-10 season.

``(Oregon State) was the one victory we're looking for,'' Bibby said. ``Now we think we can get another one. We're getting greedy. We want some more.''

--Notes: Bibby said that reserves Jerry Dupree and Derrick Craven were expected to fly to Oregon today and be available for Saturday's game against the Ducks. Dupree, a 6-foot-7 forward, stayed home to attend his grandfather's funeral, and Craven, a 6-2 point guard, was left home for a ``family matter.'' He was not left home as a punishment or for academic reasons, according to sources.

However, Craven's twin brother, Errick, contradicted Bibby and said his brother probably would not make the trip.

``He won't make the trip,'' Errick Craven said. ``I'll have to talk to him tonight.'' ...

Granville's streak of consecutive free throws was snapped at 34. Clancy recorded his sixth straight double-double, the first USC player to do it since forward Ron Riley in 1971-72. Riley had nine straight.

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Photo:

USC's Sam Clancy, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, goes in for a dunk against Oregon State's Philip Ricci.

Jennifer Jones/Corvallis Gazette-Times

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