UCLA pulls a switch on Mayo

O.J. Mayo was taking over.

The USC freshman guard had made a spinning layup, a three-point basket and then a scoop layup among the UCLA wide bodies in the lane to lead the Trojans back from what had been a nine-point deficit midway through the second half Friday night at Staples Center.

So, when USC got the ball back with 23 seconds left, trailing the Bruins by only three points in a Pacific 10 Conference tournament semifinal, Trojans Coach Tim Floyd decided to use his leading scorer and hottest player as a decoy.

The plan was to lure the defense toward Mayo and then swing the ball to sophomore guard Dwight Lewis, who would have the option of spotting up for a three-pointer or driving toward the basket.

But when the Bruins swapped defenders on USC’s screen and junior Josh Shipp ended up guarding Mayo instead of sophomore Russell Westbrook, the strategy changed.

“They switched on the screen, so I just had to melt the clock down and create separation and make the shot,” Mayo said.

Mayo dribbled near the top of the key for what seemed like an eternity as the final seconds ticked off, finally pulling up for a three-point shot over Shipp that bounced off the back of the rim with two seconds remaining.

“I thought I made it,” Mayo said of the three-pointer. “It felt good coming off” my hands.

By the time USC’s Daniel Hackett tracked down the rebound and hurriedly tried to dribble toward the three-point arc for one final shot, the game was over and UCLA had a 57-54 victory.

Shipp said he was surprised that Mayo waited so long to take the shot.

“I mean, if he missed the shot, you don’t have any time to get another one off,” Shipp said. “Fortunately enough, it turned out for us he missed the shot.”

Lewis said he wasn’t sure what Mayo was going to do as the clock neared zero.

“I thought he was going to penetrate and kick or create his own shot, which he’s good at,” Lewis said.

“I figured if he was going to take the shot, it was going to go into overtime if he made it. If he missed it, then game over.”

And so the game ended, Mayo finishing with 15 points on six-for-16 shooting in what could have been his final college game in Los Angeles.

Mayo was asked what he was thinking about as he dribbled the ball on the perimeter, his team’s fate in his hands. Was he pondering the magnitude of the moment, a game against rival UCLA hinging on his final move?

“I was just thinking about the team,” Mayo said. “Not any magnitude or any glory or any of that. I don’t play for that, you know?”

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