Dec. 28, 2003

Box Score

LOS ANGELES - USC snapped Lafayette's eight-game winning streak with an 81-59 victory over the Leopards (8-2) on Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

Lafayette, which has received votes in the last two AP Top 25 polls, had not lost since Nov. 22, when it dropped a five-point decision in the season-opener at Rutgers.

USC (5-4) took a 19-0 lead over the opening seven minutes of the game as a cold-shooting Lafayette squad missed its first 12 shots from the floor. The Leopards shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the field for the contest.

During the opening streak for USC, Desmon Farmer, who connected for 21 first-half points, hit a trio of three-pointers. Lafayette would not go away quietly in the opening session, however, as the Leopards battled back to cut the USC lead to eight (23-15) when Justin DeBerry drilled a three-pointer from the corner with 7:36 left.

USC stretched the lead to 23 points when the Trojans put together a 16-4 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 39-16 advantage before the final media timeout of the half. Three-pointers by Sean Knitter and Pat Betley and Marcus Harley on the final possession of the half cut the lead to 46-28 at halftime.

The Leopards cut the USC lead to fewer than 20 several times in the second half, the first at 15:14 when Andrei Capusan hit for two of his 11 points. Lafayette could come only as close as 16 when DeBerry and Winston Davis hit for back-to-back three's to make it 65-49 with 5:54 remaining.

DeBerry led the Leopards with 14 points, while Knitter was also in double figures with 11.

Farmer finished with 23 on 8-of-17 shooting. Three other Trojans were in double figures: Jeff McMillan with 18, Rodrick Stewart with 11 and Lodrick Stewart with 10.

The Leopards return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Northridge, Calif. to face Cal State Northridge.