The ASU men’s basketball team dropped its first game in the Old Spice Classic to Fairfield, 55-44.
The Sun Devils’ turnover woes did not change during their first road game of the season. They tied a season-high 22 turnovers. Chris Colvin, Carrick Felix and Keala King each had four.
A poor start set ASU back early. It took nearly seven minutes for the Sun Devils to score a field goal, and they were 0-for-7 from the field until sophomore forward Jordan Bachynski made a layup at the 13:04 mark in the first half. Junior guard Carrick Felix was the first starter to make a shot from the field with 6:44 left in the half. Down 31-19 at halftime, the Sun Devils shot 33.3 percent from the floor.
Despite a second-half charge to cut the deficit down 49-42 with 2:36 left in the game, Fairfield senior center Ryan Olander made a wide open three-pointer to ice any possible comeback.
Senior wing Rakim Sanders was the best player on the court. He led the game with 21 points and seven rebounds, shooting 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
Junior Trent Lockett led the Sun Devils with 15 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Bachynski was impressive off the bench, going 4-for-4 with nine points, five rebounds, two blocks in 20 minutes.
ASU will face Wake Forest Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the consolation bracket. The Demon Deacons lost their tournament opener to Dayton, 80-76.
