March 5, 2011
By: Dushan Mladenovic
Arizona State knocked off the Oregon State Beavers 80-66 today in the final home game of the season at Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils honored seniors Ty Abbott, Jamelle McMillan and Rihards Kuksiks before the game and gave them a standing ovation as they exited their last home game as Sun Devils with under a minute remaining in the game.
A fantastic team performance marked ASU's third straight home win and their 12th win of the season. Nine players contributed points with Corey Hawkins putting up a career-high 13 points. Rightfully so, the seniors stole the show as Ty Abbott put up 22 points, Rihards Kuksiks finished with 18 points and Jamelle McMillan added 10 points with eight assists. The seniors contributed 13 of the team's 17 three pointers. It was a season-high in made three pointers as well as attempts as they made 17 of their 40 shots (42.5 percent) from behind the arc.
Both teams came out strong early but the Sun Devils established a small lead. The Beavers kept it close until just less than nine minutes remaining in the half when ASU went on a 15-6 run over the next four minutes. ASU led 41-28 at the half.
The Sun Devils cruised through the second half behind their accuracy from three point range. They commanded a solid lead until the finish. Great performances from numerous Sun Devils helped maintain the lead and cruise to an important win on Senior Day.
Arizona State found their groove on defense as they forced 20 turnovers and held the Beavers to 36.4 percent from behind the arc. Roberto Nelson was huge for the Beavers as he accounted for more than half of their points putting up 34 points, 14 of those being from the free throw line. Oregon State shot 43.1 percent (22 of 51) from the field.
Despite obvious struggles through-out the season, the Sun Devils showed growth and improvement in their last weekend at home. Many of the younger players played quality minutes making important plays and apparently learning from their struggles this season. Overall, the players showed a glimpse of what ASU basketball could achieve in future seasons.
Arizona State travels to the Pac-10 Tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The Sun Devils will take on either the Oregon Ducks or Stanford Cardinal on Wednesday.