The Arizona State men’s basketball team took a step back in Wednesday’s 69-61 loss to Nevada.
The Wolf Pack (6-3) controlled the game after two free throws from sophomore guard Deonte Burton gave them a 53-52 lead with 5:56 left in the second half.
The box score shows a fairly symmetrical game. Eight ties, eight lead changes. Both teams had 13 assists to 16 turnovers. ASU shot 42.3 percent, Nevada 42.2.
However, the box score does not show effort, which ASU (3-5) lacked to start and finish the game.
Down 19-8 in the first half, the Sun Devils started sloppy. Sophomore guard Keala King had three turnovers in the first five minutes.
They put together a 21-8 run in 11:29 to take a lead 29-27 at halftime.
An 8-0 Nevada run early in the second half shifted momentum and the Sun Devils did not have the same energy from that point on.
“This isn’t nuclear physics,” coach Herb Sendek said. “You’ve got play with good energy and effort all the time unless your talent quotient is just so overwhelming that you could take pockets off. We obviously don’t have an overwhelming talent quotient.”
ASU was killed by its shot selection. There were a number of bad shots taken and Sendek said Wednesday night’s shot selection was the worst of the season. On a number of occasions, the Sun Devils had to settle for long-range three-point shots to beat the shot clock.
Even easy buckets weren’t going in for ASU. Junior guard Chris Colvin missed a few layups and junior forward Carrick Felix missed a breakaway dunk.
“We did not do a good job of executing our man or our zone offense,” Sendek said. “In fact, there were some possessions where I don’t think when we were going away from our bench that we even recognized what defense they were in and communicated with each to get in the proper set. So I thought offensively, we weren’t in sync and did a poor job.”
The turnovers, which Sendek has described as the team's Achilles heel this season, didn't decrease. ASU committed 16 turnovers with sloppy passes and careless play.
“Not sharp and crisp, not smart decisions, not treasuring the basketball treating as if we were at a gym class," Sendek said. "I’ve seen dodge ball games at gym classes where they take better care of the ball.”
The Wolf Pack defeated its second-straight Pac-12 opponent. The preseason WAC favorites, led byBurton, defeated Washington76-73 in overtime Friday. Burton led Nevada again Wednesday with 28 points. Thirteen of those came from the free throw line. Burton made three of the team’s six three-pointers and didn’t commit a turnover.
Senior forward Dario Hunt contributed a double-double for the Wolf Pack with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
“It all came down to effort and execution and Nevada went out there, played smart and played together,” Felix said. “They played well tonight. We just got to go and practice, figure things out and continue to just work.”
ASU will face North Dakota State, who is 7-1 this season, Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena. Tip off is at 2 p.m.
Creekmur out
Sophomore wing Chanse Creekmur did not play due to a hamstring injury, Sendek said.
Known for his shooting abilities, Creekmur has been in a funk this season. He’s shooting 19 percent from three-point range, averaging 2.7 points in seven games.
Reach the reporter at master.tesfatsion@asu.edu
