WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: CLOSE IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR USC TROJANS GET ANOTHER NARROW WIN VS. BRUINS USC 75, UCLA 72.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE  Staff Writer

All Chloe Kerr could do was stretch every last inch out of her 6-foot-4 wingspan and try to pressure the shot. Once again, a USC-UCLA women's basketball game would be decided by a last-second 3-point shot.

This time, it was UCLA's all-everything guard Noelle Quinn hoisting the desperation shot. At first glance, just about every one of the 7,134 fans at Pauley Pavilion thought it was good.

Kerr did, too, for that matter.

``When it went up, I thought it was going in because it looked like a good shot,'' said the USC center, who finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.

But whether it was Kerr's defensive pressure, Quinn's momentum taking her away from the basket or fatigue from the 39-plus minutes the All- American guard logs just about every game while keeping the Bruins afloat, the result was the same as the past four games between the crosstown rivals, USC winning by a hair, 75-72.

Saturday's game marked the sixthstraight between USC and UCLA that has been decided by four points or fewer. USC has won the past four meetings. Each of the past three games has ended when UCLA (9-10, 3-4) missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

``It seems like it always comes down to a last-second 3-pointer from them. Fortunately for us, they missed,'' USC coach Mark Trakh said. ``But you really have to tip your hat to Noelle Quinn. She's an awesome player, and she almost beat us single-handedly tonight. She played like she wasn't going to let her team lose.''

Quinn scored eight of her team-high 17 points in the final 4:43 of the game. She finished one rebound shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

``Fatigue isn't a factor when the game is on the line,'' said Quinn, who was on the ground getting her legs stretched out while UCLA coach Kathy Olivier was drawing up the final play. ``I got a good look at it, but I think I was off-balance after curling around the screen.''

Trakh seemed upbeat after the game, even though his team had come about 2inches away from blowing a 13-point second-half lead. Three weeks ago, USC seemed to be in dire straits following a loss to California in which only seven scholarship players were healthy enough to suit up.

Since that game, the Trojans (10-7, 4-3) have rallied to win four straight games and are now just a half-game behind Washington for third place in the Pacific-10 Conference standings.

``If we don't win another game, I'm still really proud of our kids,'' Trakh said. ``I don't think I would know how to coach if four or five kids weren't out.''

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USC's Chloe Kerr, right, shoots over UCLA defenders during Saturday's game.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News