Nov 25, 2001
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Senior guard Amanda Levens scored 29 points to lead the 21st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils past Kansas State 76-58 in the second round of the 2001 Paradise Jam.
Levens knocked down four three-pointers and went 13-of-15 from the free throw line to lead Arizona State to its victory and snap the Sun Devils' two-game losing streak. The 29 points were one shy of Levens' career high and marked her third 20-point game of the year.
After playing a seesaw game for the first seven minutes of the first half, Arizona State took a 14-13 lead on a layup by freshman Carrie Buckner with 12:39 to play. The Sun Devils led by as many as eight points in the first half, but the Wildcats went on a 11-0 lead to take a 26-23 lead of their own. However, the Sun Devils forced six turnovers over the last 3:06 of the first half to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
ASU forced a total of 16 turnovers in the first half and used a 20-4 advantage in points off turnovers to take the halftime lead, while Levens had 10 of her 29 points in the first half.
In the second half, the Sun Devils quickly built a double-digit lead when Levens knocked down a three-pointer, was fouled and completed the four-point play with a free throw to give the Sun Devils a 48-37 advantage with 15:42 to play. The Wildcats cut the lead to six points at one point, but the Sun Devils stayed strong and cruised to the 76-58 victory led by Levens who had 19 points in the second half.
Senior center Melody Johnson also scored in double figures for the Sun Devils with 11 points, while Johnson and senior forward Leah Combs had six rebounds apiece. Buckner turned in a career-high nine points and five of ASU's 12 steals.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, lead by freshman Kendra Wecker who had 17 points, while K-State was held to a season-low 58 points and turned the ball over 27 times, which the Sun Devils turned into 30 points. The Wildcats had come into the game averaging 87.5 points per game.
Arizona State, now 3-2 on the year, returns to action Monday morning in the final round of the Paradise Jam against Richmond at 7 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. The Sun Devils then return to Tempe for the ASU Holiday Classic, Dec. 1-2 at Wells Fargo Arena.
All of the ASU's games this year can be heard live on XTRA 910 AM or via Arizona State's official web site at www.thesundevils.com.