With its back against the wall, the Arizona State men’s basketball team pulled out another short-handed Pac-12 victory defeating Oregon State 76-66 at Wells Fargo Arena, Saturday.
The Sun Devils (6-11, 2-3 Pac-12) played the final 10:11 without junior wing Trent Lockett who sprained his right ankle and went into the tunnel in a wheelchair. X-rays were negative, but the sprain was significant. Lockett’s condition will be reassessed this week.
Without ASU’s clear cut leader on the floor, coach Herb Sendek turned to the bench. Junior guard Chris Colvin finished with six points and six assists in 13 minutes of action.
Similar to his brief appearance on Thursday against Oregon, Colvin struggled in the first half. He checked in for Lockett and turned the ball over on the first offensive possession. Sendek promptly brought Lockett back in a minute later.
Sendek went back to Colvin when Lockett picked up his third foul with 5:04 left before halftime. The Beavers (11-7, 1-5 Pac-12) pressed the Sun Devils each time Lockett left the floor.
Colvin continued to rise to the occasion as he committed just one turnover in the second half, which occurred with a second left in the game.
“It’s no secret Chris has been struggling,” Sendek said. “His confidence has been on the rocks, but for him to gather himself and play the way he did the last quarter of the game is just a real tribute to him.”
ASU’s ball handlers grew more comfortable against the press as the game progressed. The Sun Devils committed six of their last 21 turnovers in the last five minutes of the first half, but Sendek told his players to settle down at halftime.
“We were fooled by an illusion, that 1-3-1 press is basically an illusion,” sophomore wing Chanse Creekmur said. “We just got to attack it and be comfortable with the ball and be strong with the ball.”
Once ASU began to break the press, they created easy scoring opportunities. The Sun Devils shot 62.5 percent in the second half, scoring on five of their first six possessions. ASU also made three consecutive 3-point shots.
Creekmur made two of those three-pointers and finished with a career-high 24 points on 8-for-9 shooting. Six of his field goals were from behind the arc.
The Sun Devils also received help from their big guys. Cain finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Ruslan Pateev had 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting. He also added five rebounds.
ASU finished the game shooting 59 percent and held Oregon State to just 38 percent. Sophomore forward Devon Collier led the Beavers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Jared Cunningham was held to 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He also had nine rebounds and committed five turnovers.
The Sun Devils are now 2-2 in their last four games. They’re shooting 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from downtown.
“I think we’re getting more comfortable with what we’re doing,” Sendek said. “Guys are understanding what this team right now has to do to have a chance to be competitive and I think right now we’re at a place where we don’t have any selfishness.”
Reach the reporter at mtesfats@asu.edu
