Drew Peterson was not his usually limber self. That much was certain Saturday night. The senior’s stiff back had slowed him Thursday and nearly sidelined him for USC’s regular-season finale. A report from earlier in the day had gone so far as to declare him out on account of the injury. But when the arena lights went out and the lineups were announced, the fifth-year senior jogged gingerly from his place on the bench, as if his presence had never been in doubt.
This would be Peterson’s last game at Galen Center, after all — an arena that, on more than a few occasions, had bent to his will.
Saturday would not, however, be one of those nights, even as USC managed to slip past Arizona State 68-65.
Peterson would gut it out, anyway — a fitting conclusion to a USC career spent fitting in wherever he was needed, without complaint. He’d still fight for rebounds Saturday, still drive to the hoop, still whip bullet passes to the wing, the usual trademarks of his versatile skill set. But the stiffness had stolen the spark that bound them together, leaving Peterson battling through every possession.
He’d finish with nine points, five rebounds and three assists in his finale, a full, yet modest line that wouldn’t quite tell the story of his swan song at USC.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
His fellow senior would fortunately pick up the slack, like he so often has. Boogie Ellis may have spent one fewer year here than Peterson, but over his two seasons as a Trojan, he’d emerged as the unquestioned other half of the team’s heartbeat.
Never had that been more true than this last month, with Ellis in the midst of the best stretch of his college career and USC in desperate need of a difference-maker. The point guard continued his torrid stretch Saturday, scoring 28 points to once again lead USC.
Both seniors would leave a legacy at USC that should play for years on an endless loop in the school’s highlight reels. Together, they would hit some of the biggest shots in the biggest of moments. But their influence would extend far beyond those brief blips, with both leaving indelible marks on a basketball program on the rise.
When Arizona State lifted for a last-second shot Saturday, it was Peterson whose hand would extend in the shooter’s face.
That finish would be too close for comfort, similar to the sloppy note on which the game started for USC. The Trojans went five minutes without scoring, during which they turned the ball over five times. They added three more of the game’s first 13 minutes, throwing errant passes, dribbling off their feet, making ill-fated decisions.
But like they had so many times before this season, USC settled in. It clamped down on defense, forcing Arizona State to miss its last dozen shots before the half. With the Sun Devils struggling, the Trojans coasted into halftime on a 15-2 run.
They’d have to sweat it out from there, letting Arizona State close the gap to a single point in the final minute. The Sun Devils would have multiple chances to tie late, but none would fall.
The narrow win should presumably secure the Trojans a spot on the safe side of the NCAA tournament bubble, taking some of the pressure off next week’s trip to Las Vegas. USC was already locked into the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament. It’ll face the winner of sixth-seeded Arizona State vs. 11th-seeded Oregon State on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. PST.
How far it goes from there may very well depend on how far its pair of seniors can carry them. Ailing back and all.