TROJANS' UPSET BID FALLS SHORT LAST-SECOND BASKET HELPS TOP-SEED SPARTANS SURVIVE MICHIGAN ST. 61, USC 59.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

The USC women's basketball team had nothing to lose, having already exceeded even the most optimistic expectations months ago.

Even first-year coach Mark Trakh, whose disposition is generally brighter than his recently bleached blond hair, never thought the Trojans could go as far as they did.

But as the final seconds ticked away Monday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, and the prospect of making the Sweet 16 went from pipe dream to possibility, inexperience and a bit of bad luck caught up with the Trojans in a 61-59 loss to top-seeded Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament.

``They outplayed us, but at the end, we out-toughed them,'' said Kelli Roehrig, Michigan State's 6-foot-4 senior center.

For most of the game, the eighth-seeded Trojans (20-11) looked looser than Michigan State (30-3), outhustling a team known for its hustle and pushing the Spartans to the brink of elimination.

The upset was on. And then, with one unfortunate bounce, it all fell apart in a wild scramble.

Michigan State's Rene Haynes came away with the ball from a wild scramble under the basket and converted the winning basket with 2.9 seconds left.

USC had two timeouts remaining but did not call one, and sophomore guard Eshaya Murphy stepped over the end line before she inbounded the ball, giving possession back to the Spartans.

Murphy (Montclair Prep of Panorama City) made up for her mistake by deflecting the inbounds pass to Camille LeNoir, who appeared to be fouled near midcourt, but no call was made. As she was falling down, LeNoir managed to get the ball to a streaking Murphy down the sideline, but her last-second 3-pointer fell short.

For a team that had nothing to lose, it felt like a loss.

``We outplayed them in every category. We should've won the game,'' Trakh said. ``We came a breath away from going to the Sweet 16 and we were playing our best basketball. I think we could've made a run.

``We were picked to finish seventh in the Pac-10, but if anybody doesn't think we belong now, they're crazy.''

The Trojans did everything requisite for pulling off the upset. Freshman Brynn Cameron (Newbury Park High) made the big shot, a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to tie the game at 59. Senior Kim Gipson made the big defensive play, a block on Michigan State's final possession.

There were unlikely heroes, such as LeNoir - a 5-6 freshman from Narbonne High of Harbor City who scored a team-high 18 points Monday - and Gipson, a seldom-used post player for most of her career, who finished with 12 points.

They even had the home crowd on their side. Trakh asked for the fans' allegiance when he wore a Minnesota hat to Sunday's news conference. The Trojans share the same colors as the Golden Gophers, who lost three games to Michigan State during the Big Ten Conference season.

For those pulling for the upset, Michigan State's Lindsay Bowen played the villain. Bowen led all scorers with 19 points, including four 3- pointers in the second half. She hit the last of her 3-pointers with 37.3 seconds to put the Spartans up 59-56.

USC was making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1997. The Trojans have has advanced to the Sweet 16 on 11 occasions and have won two national championships in their illustrious history.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) USC guard Camille LeNoir scores on a layup past Michigan State's Kelli Roehrig in the second half Monday.

(2 -- ran in Final edition only) USC guard Camille LeNoir steals the ball from Michigan State guard Rene Hayes and passes for a failed last-second shot.

Andy King/Associated Press

Box:

WOMEN'S ROUNDUP: STANFORD WINS WITH TEAM EFFORT