By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Tempe, Ariz.—Led by junior forward Eric Jacobsen’s double-double and senior forward Jonathan Gilling’s 11 points, the Arizona State men’s basketball team held the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at bay to win Monday night’s game, 49-39, at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Sun Devils displayed a well-balanced offense with 13 assists on 14 baskets, and nine different players scoring points. Jacobsen posted 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with four blocks, two steals, and an assist. Gilling drained three from downtown, was 2-2 from the free throw line, and grabbed six boards.
“Eric is playing good basketball for us and he’s doing it on a daily basis,” said ASU head coach Herb Sendek. “He really has elevated his game tremendously. The first two games, he’s been excellent. He’s 7-9 from the field in two games. He took nine free throws tonight, and had a double-double. He also had four blocked shots, so Eric was really a bright spot for us tonight.”
ASU OPPONENT’S LOWEST SCORES (40 AND UNDER SINCE 1950-51)
Arizona State 76, Delaware State 34 (Dec. 12, 2009)
Arizona State 87, Western Illinois 35 (Nov. 13, 2009)
Arizona State 52, Colgate 36 (Dec. 19, 2006)
Arizona State 49, @Oregon State 38 (Feb. 7, 2009)
Arizona State 69, Oregon State 38 (Jan. 8, 2009)
Arizona State 77, Delaware State 38 (Dec. 5, 2007)
Arizona State 49, Bethune-Cookman 39 (Nov. 17, 2014)
“I definitely feel a lot more confident, just overall, inside and in my offensive game,” said Jacobsen. “We worked a lot with that over the summer. And then just being able to go against Jordan [Bachynski] all last year was a big help. Connor [MacDougall], Savon [Goodman], and Willie [Atwood] and I have been working really hard.”
For the second game in a row, junior forward Willie Atwood opened up with a trey. A layup from Jacobsen and barrage of free throws quickly put the Sun Devils up by 10 points. Bethune-Cookman’s Ricky Johnson broke ASU’s 10-0 run with a jumper at 15:41, to get the Wildcats on the board. The Sun Devils answered with an 8-0 scoring run, which included a three-pointer from Gilling.
Despite a late push by Bethune-Cookman to end the first half, the Wildcats’ 20.8 percent from field goal range prevented them from keeping pace with ASU’s multiple scoring threats. Leading by as many as 22 in the first half, eight different Sun Devils found the basket. At halftime, the Sun Devils led the Wildcats 33-14.
Arizona State got off to a slow start in the second half as a result of the Wildcats’ zone defense. After a five minute scoring drought, Atwood found the basket for the Sun Devils off of an assist from senior forward Shaquielle McKissic. A series of back-to-back three pointers by senior guard Bo Barnes put the Sun Devils back up by 22. This lead was short-lived, however, as Bethune-Cookman rallied with a late surge.
In the final eight minutes of the game, the Wildcats cut the lead to eight with a 15-3 scoring run, taking advantage of six Sun Devil turnovers and five missed field goals during that time. Bethune-Cookman took a timeout with 1:05 left on the clock, but a steal by Jacobsen ended the Wildcats’ hopes of a comeback. A final layup by freshman guard Tra Holder put the Sun Devils back up by 10 as time ran out.
Bethune-Cookman shot 45 percent from field goal range and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, compared to ASU’s 29.4 percent.
“We were an offensive nightmare,” said Sendek of the second half. “We only had five field goals and 10 turnovers. I can’t remember the last time a team had five field goals and 10 turnovers in a half. We didn’t get to the foul line; they weren’t fouling. They were packing in the zone, so we didn’t get easy points at the free throw line.”
The Sun Devils went to the line 16 times in the first half, making 10 of 16. In the second half, they only saw the line three times, shooting 100 percent.
“We’ve got to be better with end-of-the-game stuff like that,” added Jacobsen. “Just playing our game and not worrying about their tempo. Turnovers killed us in the second half. We didn’t get many shots we just kept turning the ball over, that’s a big thing we’ve got to fix.”
The Sun Devils return to action on Thursday, Nov. 20, when they host Loyola Marymount at 7:00 p.m. MST at Wells Fargo Arena. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
GOOD START: ASU held the Wildcats to just 14 points at the half, the fewest since ASU led Delaware State 42-12 on Dec. 12, 2009.
FEWEST HALFTIME POINTS BY ASU OPPONENT SINCE 1989-90
ASU 42, Delaware State 12 (Dec. 12, 2009)
ASU 20, Colgate 12 (Dec. 19, 2006)
ASU 36, Old Dominion 12 (Jan. 7, 1995)
ASU 19, @Oregon State 13 (Feb. 7, 2009)
ASU 33, Oregon State 13 (Feb. 25, 1995)
ASU 33, Bethune-Cookman 14 (Nov. 17, 2014)
ASU 24, @Stanford 14 (Jan. 27, 1991)