Nov. 29, 2008
Anaheim, Calif.-
By Thomas Lenneberg, ASU Media Relations
James Harden's tournament record 32 points, including 26 in the second half, were not enough to hold off the Baylor Bears as the No. 14 Sun Devils lost 87-78 in the second round of the 76 Classic.
With James not catching fire until midway through the second half, senior Jeff Pendergraph knew someone had to step up. He answered the call brilliantly, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first half to keep the game tied 31-31 at the horn.
The Bears came out firing after the break and made five of their first six 3-pointers, resulting in a 14-0 run and a 53-38 advantage for Baylor with 14 minutes remaining in the game.
The Devils, who battled all night long, countered Baylor with its own scoring run a minute later with three straight Harden points and a Jamelle McMillan long ball, cutting the lead to 11. After LaceDarius Dunn knocked down two free throws with just over nine minutes to play to put Baylor up 16, Harden had seen enough.
"We tried to not go down in the second half without a fight," Harden said about his late-game surge.
He poured in 24 of his 26 second half points after that moment and ASU narrowed the lead to 82-78, with just under a minute to play. The Devils late flurry was too little too late however; Baylor sunk their next 7-of-8 free throws, securing their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Although ASU had been playing some of the best defense in the country through their season-opening first four wins, Baylor's hot shooting proved too much for the Sun Devils.
"They were the quicker team, the more energetic team throughout most of the second half," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said. "They really hurt us in transition and that led to good 3-point shooting opportunities."
They surrendered a season-high 87 points, the most the Sun Devils have conceded in regulation since coach Sendek took over three years ago. After holding their opponents to just 39 percent from the field all season, they allowed the Bears to shoot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor and 46 percent (11-of-24) from beyond the arc.
When the usually smothering, turnover causing zone defense of Arizona State forced only eight turnovers, a season low, coach Sendek couldn't hide his frustration.
When asked what he was going to look at during the coming week, he was quick to answer, "I didn't like our defensive approach and our intensity and our energy level."
Pendergraph notched his second consecutive double-double, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Rihards Kuksiks ended with 10 points, the third Sun Devil in double figures.
Dunn tallied 27 points off the bench, the team-high for the Bears.