Updated ASU Stats and UW-ASU Box Score in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Feb. 1, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Arizona State's rally from a 23-point deficit came up short despite emotional first-year coach Herb Sendek, who was thrown out of a game for the first time in his 14 seasons as a college coach, for inciting the crowd.
Jon Brockman scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Washington beat Arizona State 66-61 Thursday night, dealing the Sun Devils their 11th consecutive loss.
The Huskies (14-7, 4-6 Pac-10) won their first conference road game of the season and notched their ninth consecutive victory over Arizona State (6-15, 0-10).
But it was after Antwi Atuahene was whistled for a foul going for a loose ball with 13:16 left that things went crazy.
"I thought Antwi made one of the all-time great hustle plays," Sendek said. "He must have dove 10 feet, head first, for a loose ball. And I wanted the crowd to recognize that in a special way."
Sendek proceeded to raise his hands in a motion to get the crowd to cheer and was assessed a technical foul by official Michael Reed.
"It was no different than Steve Jones going in to the scorer's table and I've done that (the hands raising motion) a number of times this season," Sendek said. "I've seen other coaches do it. I can remember vividly seeing guys like (Duke coach) Mike Krzyzewski do it and any other number of coaches.
"The official told me, he hit me with a technical because he told me I was trying to incite the crowd, but I wasn't trying to get the crowd to throw eggs at the official or do it for that purpose," Sendek said. "We just saw an unbelievable hustle play."
He said when he did it again, Reed assessed him a second technical, sending him off the court.
Reed concurred.
"Coach (Sendek) violated rule 1096 inciting an undesirable response from the crowd after he had been asked not to do that," Reed said in a statement released by the school.
Christian Polk scored 18 points to lead the Sun Devils, who played the last 13:16 under associate head coach Mark Phelps.
Ryan Appleby made all four of the free throws, but Arizona State scored the next eight points to get within 54-46 with 9:39 remaining.
"We told our team (after the ejection) that they were going to come after us, be prepared," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "But tonight we focused on our first half. We felt that was our best half we've played all year and that's what we wanted to focus on."
Polk later hit two straight jumpers and Jeff Pendergraph and Allen Morill each made two free throws to cut the Sun Devils' deficit to 61-58 with 1:14 left.
But Justin Dentmon hit a basket and then made two free throws with 24 seconds left to help secure the win for Washington, which came into the game 0-6 on the road this season.
Atuahene said the team tried to turn up the intensity in the second half.
"We resolved to step up our energy in the second half to be in (position) to win the game," he said. "That came from Coach Sendek being ejected and everything else. We just knew we had to step it up to have a chance to win the game."
Appleby finished with 13 points, hitting 3-of-6 from outside the 3-point line. Dentmon and Spencer Hawes each added 13 points for the Huskies.
"I'm estastic," Romar said. "Because we have played pretty a couple of times, played good and lost. We won a game on the road. I'm fired up."