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From the Associated Press

7:05 PM PST, February 23, 2008

O.J. Mayo led four players in double figures with 21 points and USC trounced Oregon State, 81-53, tonight, keeping the hapless Beavers winless in Pacific 10 Conference play.

Mayo had four 3-pointers, giving him 66 and moving him past Gabe Pruitt as the most prolific freshman long-range shooter in USC history. He was coming off a 32-point effort in an 81-75 victory over Oregon on Thursday.



The Trojans (17-9, 8-6 Pac-10) needed the weekend sweep to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. They had to rally in both halves to beat Oregon, but today's game was virtually over before it began.

Dwight Lewis added 14 points, Angelo Johnson 13 and Taj Gibson 12 for the Trojans, who have won eight of 11.

The Beavers (6-21, 0-15) lost their 17th in a row and are on the verge of going winless in the Pac-10 with three games remaining.

Senior Marcel Jones and freshman Sean Carter were back in Oregon State's lineup after one-game suspensions for their involvement in verbal taunting against Washington last weekend.

Jones led the Beavers with 15 points and Calvin Haynes added 10. The team shot 34 percent for the game.

USC ran off 10 straight points to open the game and was never challenged. That spurt was followed by a 16-0 stretch and the Trojans led by 31 points in the first half, when Mayo had 14. The Beavers shot 7-of-31 from the floor in the half.

Johnson, one of USC's three freshmen starters, further stunned Oregon State by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers early in the second half, increasing the Trojans' lead to 34 points.

Mayo had a dominating stretch midway through the half. He scored and got out on a fastbreak, sending a behind-the-head pass to a trailing Lewis, who scored. Mayo dunked and then hit a 3-pointer to complete the 9-0 run and stretch the Trojans' lead to 67-30.

It was USC's seventh straight win over the Beavers. Freshman Marcus Simmons was in USC's lineup for the first time since Dec. 17 after being hobbled by a sprained left ankle. He had four points and five rebounds.