Freshman guard Tra Holder dashes down court after Colgate opposition losses possession. ASU narrowly defeated Colgate, 78-71, at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. (Photo by Mario Mendez)
CORVALLIS, Oregon -- The unfortunate trend of falling short on the road continued for ASU men's basketball on Thursday as it was knocked off by the Oregon State Beavers 55-47 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. The loss marks 13 in a row dropped by the Devils at a neutral or road site dating back to last season.
For the Beavers (10-4, 1-1 Pac-12), a familiar name echoed through the arena as junior guard Gary Payton II, son of former Oregon State standout and NBA legend Gary Payton, shined for OSU. Payton II poured in 12 points to go along with five rebounds. His teammate, sophomore guard Malcolm Duvivier, added 15 points of his own, 10 of which coming from the free throw line.
The Oregon State faithful call Payton II "The Mitten" after his father, whose stifling defense earned him the nickname "The Glove." Two key steals and a stellar effort on defense for Payton II proved that he deserves his hand-me-down nickname. Oregon State was picked to finish dead last in the Pac-12 before this season began, but Payton II might have the star power to help the Beavers prove wrong the doubters.
Turnovers plagued the Sun Devils (8-7, 0-2 Pac-12), particularly in the first half where the team committed 11 of its 15 total giveaways. While many were forced by a disciplined Beavers defense, unforced errors such as traveling violations and stepping out of bounds prevented ASU from competing for most of the game.
ASU senior forward Shaquielle McKissic and junior forward Eric Jacobsen led the way for ASU with 11 points apiece, but the size of the Beavers proved too much for the Sun Devils, as did its zone defensive scheme. ASU was outrebounded by the Beavers by a margin of 34-24.
It was a low scoring affair for both teams tonight. However, Arizona State's offense severely underperformed given that it was averaging nearly 72 points per game. A shooting percentage this low is not common for Herb Sendek's squad, but the Beavers' zone defense was truly menacing.
Coach Sendek praised his opponent's abilities on both ends of the court.
"GP (Gary Payton II) has unreal ability to get his hands on the ball," Sendek said. "They do a good job with their zone. It comes down to taking care of the ball and finishing around the basket."
One positive area for the Sun Devils against a much larger Oregon State team was points in the paint. Both OSU and ASU had 22 points in the paint, which can be attributed to a solid defensive effort from Jacobsen and company down low as well as the slashing nature of players like McKissic, who shot 83 percent from the floor.
Sendek hopes to find a lesson in this game, one that the Sun Devils brought within three before failing to execute as the clock wound down.
"We have to make better decisions down stretch," Sendek said. "We are going to keep learning and there is no other choice."
While every loss is undoubtedly a learning experience, Sendek and ASU hope to break their losing trend away from home in a matchup against Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. MT.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @RClarkeASU
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