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Men’s hoops tops OSU on emotional senior day

Bidding Farewell: ASU coach Herb Sendek (left) holds back the tears while standing next to Ty Abbott and his mother during senior introductions before the Sun Devils game against Oregon State Saturday. Abbott scored 22 points in his final regular season game. (Photo courtesy of Beth Easterbrook)
Bidding Farewell: ASU coach Herb Sendek (left) holds back the tears while standing next to Ty Abbott and his mother during senior introductions before the Sun Devils game against Oregon State Saturday. Abbott scored 22 points in his final regular season game. (Photo courtesy of Beth Easterbrook)

The final season in the careers of ASU’s senior class didn’t go anywhere near where they had hoped.

But the final weekend went just as planned.

With an 80-66 rout over Oregon State on senior day, Ty Abbott, Jamelle McMillan and Rihards Kuksiks won their 80th career game, making them the winningest players in ASU history.

“It was really important to me and everybody else to have a special day for our seniors,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said.  “These guys have meant a great deal to our program and have had a good measure of success. We’ve had a hard season but they’ve galvanized in a way to win the last three at home.”

Sendek fought back tears during the senior day presentation before the game as he said goodbye to his first full recruiting class.

“I was doing fine, but I was fighting it,” Sendek said. “When I saw Ty come out and he was already gushing. I couldn’t stop myself.”

Abbott didn’t think he was going to get emotional before the game, but when the moment came, he broke down.

“It just kind of set in,” Abbott said. “I thought it was going to be after the game, but right before it just hits you like a ton of bricks.”

Video by Derek Trebesch

A game after making and taking a victory from beyond the arc, the Sun Devils outdid themselves on Saturday.

The Sun Devils (12-18, 4-14 Pac-10) took 40 3-pointers and made 17 of them, one shy of the school record. The 40 attempts also were the second most in school history.

“Most importantly, we were ready to shoot,” Abbott said. “When we swung it to the guys, they didn’t waste any time to put it up. I think that was the biggest thing.”

OSU (10-19, 5-13) played without three starters and five key players after Beavers’ coach Craig Robinson suspended them for a violation of team rules.

Because of the suspensions, the Beavers only played six players, causing three players to play 40 minutes and the other two starters played 39 and 35.

“You have to remember we’re dealing with young men. They make mistakes,” Robinson said. “As a mentor, coach, older person, I’m looking out for them to not only be responsible for myself and my staff, but for the guys. That’s all I’m doing, just trying to do the right thing consistently.”

In the first half, redshirt freshman guard Roberto Nelson kept the Beavers around by himself.

Nelson scored 18 of OSU’s 28 first-half points, but even his big effort couldn’t prevent the Sun Devils from seizing control.

Down 19-18 with 7:37 left until halftime, ASU closed the half on a 23-9 run to take a 41-28 lead into the intermission.

The Beavers didn’t have enough in the tank to make a serious run in the second half.

Abbott led the Sun Devils with 22 points. Kuksiks added 18 points and McMillan scored all of his 10 points in the first half.

Freshman Corey Hawkins added a career-high 13 points off the bench for the Sun Devils.

For the second straight game, Kuksiks and Abbott both got many open looks from deep and made the most of them.

“That’s what usually happens when you play a bunch of big men and they have to run around with a bunch of guards,” Abbott said. “That’s why we got a lot of transition points, they weren’t able to keep up.”

Nelson finished with a career-high 34 points, while senior Omari Johnson chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Beavers.

After going nearly two months in between Pac-10 victories, ASU got two for their seniors this weekend. For the trio, it was a perfect ending to a bumpy senior season.

“After four years, every single day, all the time and effort we’ve put in with countless teammates and the coaching staff, I have to thank our teammates for coming out and playing hard and giving us this feeling on this special weekend and special day,” McMillan said.

Now ASU will head to the Pac-10 tournament with as much momentum as it’s had all season.

The Sun Devils will open up on Wednesday night at Staples Center against Oregon, a team that they swept this season.

“One at a time,” Abbott said. “We definitely think we can do some things, but we have to take it one at a time.”

Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu


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