Dec. 23, 2009

Box Score

Tempe, Ariz. - In this the season of giving, USC Upstate gave Arizona State all it could handle before the Sun Devils escaped with a 61-52 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Arena in the final non-conference game for both squads.

Upstate led by a 9-2 margin early in the game, fell behind by as many as 17 in the second half, and battled back to within four late in the game before Arizona State pulled off the nine-point victory.

Upstate fell to 1-10 on the year and will take a few days off for Christmas before returning to practice next week before resuming A-Sun Conference play Saturday, Jan. 2, against Campbell in the Hodge Center. ASU improved to 10-3 on the year and will return to action on New Year's Eve against UCLA in Los Angeles.

"The kids played hard and executed pretty well," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "The triangle gave them some matchup problems. As it was, we played as well as we could play. We struggle to score and we are going to struggle to score until our guard play gets more consistent.

"They put a fair amount of pressure on us. (In the first half) We had a span where we kept turning the ball over. It was encouraging that despite that, we stayed in the ballgame."

Upstate came out on fire in the game and before the Sun Devils knew what had hit them, the Spartans opened a 9-2 lead. Upstate hit four of its first five shots in the game and held ASU to just 1-for-8 shooting over the first five minutes of play. However, Upstate would soon go on a drought from the field that gave control of the game, seemingly, to the Sun Devils.

After Carter Cook hit a jumper to give Upstate a 9-2 lead at the 16:35 mark of the first half, Upstate went without a field goal for the next 12:08. During that span, the Spartans made just three free throws as ASU used the scoring futility to go on a 23-3 run and open a 25-12 lead with five minutes to play before halftime.

Offensive rebounds by ASU made the difference in the run. The Sun Devils grabbed 11 in the first half and six during the run to account for a 16-5 lead in second chance points.

Upstate, though, would not go away. After Sharod Minus nailed a three-pointer to end the field goal drought and sank a mid-range jumper for five straight points, the Spartans managed to battle back within five at halftime, trailing ASU 30-25.

"In the first half, if we had rebounded the ball defensively, we probably would have been ahead," said Payne. "We made a concerted effort in the second half. That was an area that we thought we should have been able to control but didn't, though we did a better job in the second half."

Upstate shot just 38 percent from the field in the half and, despite allowing the ASU offensive rebounds, held the Sun Devils to 32 percent shooting.

Upstate scored the first four points of the second half to get within one, 30-29, but watched as ASU slowly gained control. The Sun Devils outscored the Spartans 19-3 over the next 8:04 to open what seemed to be a comfortable 17-point lead, 49-32, with 10:34 to play in the game.

That's when Upstate turned to Caleb Palkert to spur the team. Palkert scored five of Upstate's next 10 points and established a presence down low as Upstate cut the deficit to 11 points with 7:40 to play. Ryan LeGates nailed a three-pointer and converted a pair of free throws during that span.

"Caleb is a youngster who is going to get better and better," said Payne. "We are pleased with him and his progress, and he will be a fixture in the lineup because he continues to move forward."

Cook converted a layup and nailed a three-pointer to cut the ASU lead to six, 53-47, with 5:16 to play. All-Pac-10 player Derek Glasser hit a three-pointer to end a 15-4 run by Upstate and increase the margin back to nine with 4:39 remaining.

However, Upstate was not done. The Spartans got a jumper from Mezie Uzochukwu and a three-pointer from Minus to cut the lead to four, 56-52, with 2:16 to play. After Upstate played a tremendous defensive possession, Jamelle McMillan sank a three-pointer with 1:40 left to give the Sun Devils a seven-point advantage and the Spartans would get no closer as ASU held on for the win.

Upstate did a much better job of defensive rebounding in the second half. The Spartans allowed ASU just two offensive rebounds in the second period. Upstate finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field, narrowly outshooting ASU which shot a couple of tenths lower than the Spartans.

Cook led Upstate with 13 points and was the only Spartan to finish in double figures. He also tallied five rebounds and four assists. Palkert tied career highs with seven points and six rebounds. Minus and LeGates each scored eight, while Uzochukwu added seven points and two steals.

Ty Abbott and McMillan each scored 15 points to lead Arizona State. McMillan narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. He also dished out four assists. Taylor Rohde added 12 points and five rebounds, while Glasser finished with 11 points, six assists and five boards.