Trojans use defense to get past Huskies

The sign was a not-so-inconspicuous reference to the rumored punch that USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo lobbed at teammate Daniel Hackett last fall, though both players insisted Hackett's broken jaw resulted from an inadvertent elbow.

But there was no denying the knockout blow that Mayo and the Trojans delivered against the Huskies at Bank of America Arena, using a 19-0 second-half spurt to transform a tie score into an eventual 73-59 victory.

It was the zero side of the run that most pleased USC Coach Tim Floyd, whose team harassed Washington into shooting only 36.1% and making only two of 21 shots (9.5%) from three-point range.

"You can't have a run unless you stop people," Floyd said after notching the 300th victory of his collegiate coaching career.

Mayo scored 29 points and freshman forward Davon Jefferson had 17 to lead USC to its sixth victory in seven games. It was the Trojans' fourth consecutive road triumph and first here since 2004.

"I think we like the road better, to tell you the truth," said Jefferson, who also had five rebounds and four blocks. "I like doubters. I've had doubters my whole life, telling me what I'm not going to do. When people yell at us, screaming our names, that gets us all fired up."

USC, which improved to 15-7 overall and 6-4 in the Pacific 10 Conference, moved into sole possession of third place in the conference, a swift ascent for a team that started 0-3 in Pac-10 play.

The Trojans' second-half push came after Washington guard Ryan Appleby dodged a steal attempt by counterpart Dwight Lewis and buried an open three-pointer to tie the score at 38-38.

Lewis responded with seven consecutive points on a three-pointer, a pair of free throws and a floater.

Jefferson followed with a leaning jumper and then freshman guard Angelo Johnson buried a three-pointer from the corner.

Things were really going the Trojans way when sophomore forward Taj Gibson blocked a jump shot by Washington 7-footer Joe Wolfinger, took a feed in transition from Mayo and made a nimble move for a layup that gave USC a 52-38 lead.

The Trojans' advantage eventually reached 23 points on a one-handed dunk by Jefferson that elicited a few frightful screams from the crowd before Floyd emptied his bench.