Junior guard Gerry Blakes drives to the basket during ASU's 68-44 win over Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 at Wells Fargo Arena.Down by two points with just 34 seconds left, the ASU men's basketball team had a chance to tie or win the game, but came up short on both of its last two possessions.
The Sun Devils (3-1) lost 78-73 to Maryland in the semifinal round of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri Monday. Senior forward Jonathan Gilling led the team with 21 points, just one shy of his career-high and senior guard Bo Barnes set a career mark with 17 points. The two combined to shoot 12-17 from beyond the three-point line.
Freshman guard Kodi Justice missed a jump shot and ASU fouled to seal its fate.
The Terrapins (4-0) made their free throws to end the game with a five-point win in a game that was as close as the score indicated.
The game was closely contested from the start, as ASU and Maryland traded baskets in the first half. The Sun Devils led by as many as seven points in the half, but the Terrapins cut the lead to just two points to head into the locker room with a 39-37 deficit.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair as ASU held a lead as late as 1:22 remaining in the game. Maryland freshman guard Melo Trimble tied the game with two free throws, two of his game-high 31 points, and the Terrapins never looked back.
Senior guard Dez Wells made a shot to give Maryland the lead for good. Despite being bottled up for a majority of the contest, Wells ended the game with 14 points.
Once again free throws were an issue for the Sun Devils. ASU shot 64.3 percent from the line and senior forward Shaq McKissic made just three of his six attempts. ASU improved slightly in terms of turnovers, committing 14.
The Terrapins, on the other hand, turned the ball over just 10 times in the game and shot 88.9 percent from the charity stripe, winning both categories in a landslide.
ASU will face the loser of Alabama and Iowa State in the third-place game of the tournament Tuesday night.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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