LAHAINA, Hawaii -- The Sun Devils missed 25 free throws Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center, but got an emotional lift with the return of senior shooting guard Curtis Millage and escaped with an 83-79 overtime victory against Utah to capture fifth place in the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
"Everybody that was here can see what Curtis Millage means to our team," said ASU head coach Rob Evans, whose team led by as many as nine points in the second half, but made only one field goal in the final six minutes of regulation. "He's the leader of this team and he's their security blanket. He's everything."
Millage, who arrived in town at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, not only scored a game-high 26 points, but also brought a newfound sense of enthusiasm that wasn't there Monday when the Sun Devils (3-1) sustained a 17-point loss to 15th-ranked Kentucky. However, Millage's stellar outing was overshadowed largely by his struggles at the free throw line.
"I've just had a lot on my mind for the past two weeks with the situation that was going on," said Millage, who missed 12 of 20 shots from the stripe, including four straight with less than two minutes remaining in regulation as the Utes erased an eight-point deficit.
Utah (2-2) grabbed a 71-69 lead with 22 seconds left when junior swingman Nick Jacobson drained his second consecutive three-pointer from the wing. Millage missed a driving lay-up with nine seconds to go, but sophomore point guard Jason Braxton was there for a put back that allowed ASU to draw even. Utah senior forward Britton Johnsen misfired on an off-balanced jumper as time expired.
"Jason is a winner, so he's going to do whatever it takes," Evans said. "We've been trying to get him to rebound the basketball. That's a big play."
Freshman forward Ike Diogu drained four free throws and Millage knocked down a three-pointer to help give the Sun Devils another eight-point lead with 1:35 remaining in overtime. But Utah again cut into the deficit as ASU faltered at the charity stripe.
The Utes got back-to-back treys from Jacobson and Johnsen and trailed by just two points with 12 seconds left after freshman swingman Richard Chaney stole the ball from senior forward Shawn Redhage at mid-court and threw down an uncontested dunk. They had a chance to tie things up with four seconds remaining after ASU junior guard Kenny Crandall missed the second of two free throws, but Jacobson's shot from the corner was long.
"We got in this tournament because we wanted to get the competition that was here and win basketball games," Evans said. "There are going to be a lot of people walking out of here 1-2, and we're one of the teams that's coming out of here 2-1."
Even though the Sun Devils got 22 points from Diogu and 11 apiece out of Braxton and junior forward Jamal Hill, Evans was more impressed by what his team accomplished on defense. Utah shot only 41.8 percent from the field and turned the ball over 15 times.
"This is the best defensive effort I've had from my team since I've been at Arizona State," Evans said. "All my teams have been known for defense, but this is a team I've really enjoyed coaching because of their defensive intensity."
GAME NOTES: Diogu scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game ... ASU won the battle on the boards, 48-35 ... The Sun Devils were 3-for-11 from beyond the arc ... ASU won for the first time in 14 games when trailing or tied at halftime ... The Sun Devils, who were 24-for-54 from the field, won for only the third time in the past 20 outings when they didn't shoot 50 percent from the field ... ASU improved to 7-5 all-time in the Maui Invitational.