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March 3, 2007
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -Freshman Derek Glasser hit a three-pointer with 13.8 seconds left to give Arizona State its first road win of the season, 42-41, over California at Haas Pavilion Saturday, its third straight win in Berkeley. Freshman Jerren Shipp was the only player in double figures with 11 points for the Sun Devils (8-21, 2-16), who equaled its best defensive scoring output with the 41 points by Cal. It matched the lowest point total by a Pac-10 foe in ASU's 29-year Pac-10 history (522 games), as ASU topped Washington 53-41 on Jan. 31, 1991.
ASU is giving up just 61.9 points per game, currently the fourth-best mark in ASU history and the lowest since the 1949-50 squad gave up 59.8 and is gave up just 61.7 in league play (third-best behind only league leaders Washington State and UCLA).
ASU has now been in 14 games decided by five points or less (3-11), already the most by an ASU squad in 23 years, since the 1982-83 had 17 of 33 games of five points. Fifteen of ASU's games this year have been two-possession games (six points or less). ASU has been in 20 games of 10 points or less, which leads the Pac-10. It has been in just nine games of final margins above 10, fewest in the league.
Omar Wilkes had 16 for Cal (14-16, 6-12), but 14 came in the first half. Ryan Anderson, the Golden Bears' leading scorer, was held to four points on one of six shooting.
"They kept fighting," said Cal senior Ayinde Ubaka of Arizona State. "They played a tough zone and took away our strengths."
Glasser's three (he is 15-of-28 (15-of-28) from the three-point stripe in the past eight games) accounted for the only points in the final 6:51. Arizona State also had no free throws, missing all three attempts at the line, and did not get to the line until the 8:23 mark of the second half.
California worked for a last shot, but Theo Robertson's three-pointer went off the rim -- the 17th three-pointer the Bears missed during the game. They were 14 of 43 overall from the field, the lowest field goal total all season, and the 41 points was the lowest since a 59-37 loss to Washington State on Jan. 14, 1988.
The young Sun Devils, who start three freshmen and a sophomore, started slowly, missing their first five shots and turning the ball over three times in their first eight trips down the floor. But despite falling behind 6-0 on a pair of Wilkes' three-pointers, Arizona State's zone forced Cal to settle for long jumpers, and the Bears missed their next seven shots. The drought allowed the Sun Devils tie the score at seven with 12:04 left in the first half and, thanks to a 10-0 run, they eventually built a 19-14 lead. Wilkes sparked a 9-0 Cal counterattack with five points, and the Bears went into the locker room with a 25-21 halftime lead.
Neither team could take charge in the second half, though Cal led by five at one point. Arizona State's zone frustrated the Bears, who took a 41-39 lead with 6:51 left on Eric Vierneisel's three-pointer, but did not score again.
Arizona State did no better, going 7:04 without a score before a long rebound bounced to a wide open Glasser at the top of the key with 13.8 seconds left -- and he hit his first three-pointer of the game to give the Sun Devils the win.
GAME NOTES
SECOND TIME AROUND WAS BETTER: In the second half of the Pac-10 season ASU was outscored by just 22 points and its seven losses were by one, three, four (twice), five, six and 10 points. Jeff Pendergraph averaged 11.2 points and 9.9 boards in those games.
D IS GOOD: The Sun Devils rank third in Pac-10 games in scoring defense at 61.9 points per game, and the other teams in the top seven are NCAA Tournament bound. And it is not just a result of slowing the game down, as ASU ranked fourth in field goal percentage defense (.437) in league games. ASU held Oregon, who is averaging 76.6 points per game, to a season-low 55 points on Feb. 8 in Eugene and held Washington State, who is averaging 66.5 points per game, to a season-low in a 48-47 loss on Feb. 3. On Feb. 25 against Arizona, ASU held the Pac-10's top scoring team (79.6) to a season-low 61 points. The 61 points was the fewest by the Wildcats against ASU since a 53-52 ASU win on Jan. 5, 1995.
FRESHMEN NOTE: Three true freshmen are combining to average 87.2 minutes, all above the 27-minute mark. Point guard Derek Glasser is averaged 32.2 minutes in the 18 conference games, third-most by a Sun Devil freshman in ASU's 29-year Pac-10 history.
FRESHMEN FODDER: Christian Polk, with 64 three-pointers, has a chance to break the ASU freshmen record set by Ron Riley in 1992-93 of 66. Jerren Shipp and Derek Glasser (33 each) are both in the top 10.