Nov. 7, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. -
Led by sophomore forward Jeff Pendergraph and freshman guard Christian Polk, defeated the in the team's exhibition opener Tuesday night at ASU's Wells Fargo Arena, 58-53.
Polk led all Sun Devil scorers with 15 points, connecting on 3-of-8 from three-point range.
Pendergraph added 12 points, all scored in the second half, in addition to a team-high two blocked shots and seven rebounds. The former Pac-10 All-Freshman selection also deflected a Victoria pass with 23.9 seconds remaining, which was then collected by Polk to help seal ASU's 58-53 victory over the Vikes.
"These types of experiences are invaluable for this team," said Herb Sendek, ASU head coach. "As many different things that we can be exposed to (before the start of the regular season), the better."
Freshman guard Jerren Shipp contributed a solid overall game, scoring nine points and dishing out a game-high five assists, while playing a team-most 35 minutes. Shipp tied Pendergraph for the Sun Devil lead with seven total rebounds.
Senior forward Serge Angounou provided a double-figure scoring effort off the ASU bench, chipping in 10 points for the Sun Devils.
ASU limited the Vikes to 39.6 percent shooting for the game, and forced a total of 20 turnovers, while the Sun Devils helped maintain the lead and ultimately win by shooting an even 50 percent (14-of-28) in the second half.
Forward Graeme Bollinger of totaled game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sun Devils showcased many new faces in this year's only exhibition game, including the contributions of four freshmen (guard Derek Glasser, forward George Odufuwa, Polk and Shipp), two of whom (Polk and Shipp) started in their first action at ASU. Sendek also called upon the depth of his squad, playing 11 players in the lineup within the game's first seven minutes.
"We played all four freshmen significant minutes," Sendek said. "The young guys will be baptized by fire this year, and we're going to rely heavily on their services."