LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Despite scoring 22 points, Sam Clancy wasn't happy with his shooting.

Clancy was 9-for-18 from the field Tuesday night as No. 20 Southern California rallied to beat San Diego 78-67.

``I knew if I were going to have to carry the team, I'd have to do it defensively,'' he said. ``My shots weren't really falling.''

Coach Henry Bibby thinks it'll take more than rankings and wins to convince him that his Trojans team is good.

``We're a long way from being a Top 25 team and a good basketball team,'' Bibby said.

``Yes, it is early in the season, and if you had freshmen, then you'd be OK,'' he continued. ``But we're bringing back a veteran ballclub. We have to go back to the drawing board because we have to get better at this stage.''

Southern California struggled in the first half, and trailed 32-28 at halftime. USC (2-0) took its first lead at 40-39 on Clancy's 3-pointer with 14:50 remaining.

Junior forward David Bluthenthal, who set a Pacific-10 Conference record for consecutive free throws, scored eight of his 10 points during a 14-0 run that put USC up for good at 56-47 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Bluthenthal made his first four free throws to set the record of 41 straight. The old mark of 40 was shared by Oregon's John Grieg (1981-82) and Stanford's Todd Lichti (1989). Bluthenthal's streak was snapped on his next try.

``I was trying to go 100 percent on the season,'' Bluthenthal said. ``But I actually thought I was going to miss sooner or later. The minute that thought came into my mind, I missed my next free throw.''

Brandon Granville added 18 points, including 9-of-11 free throws, for the Trojans.

Andre Laws scored 16 and Tom Lippold added 14 points for San Diego (1-1), which pulled to 63-59 with 4:06 to play but could get no closer.

``This was a winnable game for us,'' San Diego coach Brad Holland said. ``We got them down early because we played well. If we make a few more foul shots, we win this game. It is that simple.''

The Toreros opened with a 10-0 run, prompting Bibby to substitute all five players.

The starters returned to the floor less than a minute later but did little to slow San Diego, which shot 50 percent in the first half. The Trojans were only 8-for-20 shooting in the half.

Clancy's 17-foot jumper cut San Diego's lead to 20-13 with 7:49 left in the first half.

Robert Hutchinson made a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run that pulled USC within three points with 2:59 to play in the half.

Jarvis Turner made a 3-pointer to tie it, but Lippold scored four of the next six points as San Diego took the lead at halftime despite 13 first-half turnovers.

The halftime score was enough to scare Bibby.

``It was ugly getting it down to four points at the half,'' Bibby said. ``But a win is a win. The guys off our bench kept us in the game.''

In the second half, Southern California shot 62 percent and made five of seven 3-pointers.