By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations
Tempe, Ariz.—Led by a game-high 21 points from senior Shaq McKissic in his final home game as a Sun Devil, the Arizona State Men’s basketball team held on to a 74-70 victory over Cal, improving to 17-14 on the season, and 9-9 in conference play. The victory grants the Sun Devils the fifth seed in the upcoming PAC-12 tournament, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Sun Devils got off to a slow start early in the first half going down 9-0. Despite falling behind initially, the Sun Devils battled back, and played well defensively the remainder of the game. The Bears, who began the game shooting 8-for-10 from the field, managed only five scores for the remainder of the half. The Sun Devils closed the half on an 18-to-6 run, ahead 35-32.
The Sun Devils managed to maintain the lead the remainder of the game. Despite beginning the half on an 8-2 run, Sendek’s squad never really managed to separate from the Golden Bears, leading by only one with 32 seconds to play. After missing seven straight free throws late in the game, ASU managed to go 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to close the game, sealing the victory.
Highlighted by tremendous individual performances from Savon Goodman, Shaq McKissic, and Gerry Blakes, the Sun Devils thrived offensively shooting .456 (26-57) from the field. Goodman went 8-for-13 from the field scoring 18, while also finishing with eight rebounds. Guard Gerry Blakes posted 16 points, along with four rebounds and three assists.
Despite only contributing three points on the offensive side of the ball, big man Eric Jacobsen played well defensively, finishing with five blocks on the game.
“With Eric you can’t be a casual observer to see the full value that he brings, because he is such a good team defensive player,” said ASU head coach Herb Sendek. “The highlight of today was his five blocked shots, which was a little bit different than usual for him. We are accustomed for him drawing the charge, but there are two ways to protect the rim and today he really helped us with his five blocked shots, reminiscent of Jordan Bachynski.”
After beginning conference playing losing four straight, the Sun Devils closed the season winning 9-of-14.
“I don’t like to compare teams and players, especially when you are as old as me and your memory plays tricks on you,” said Sendek. “I think we all tend to remember what happened most recently and tend to elevate that in our thinking, and diminish things that happened a while ago. Honestly having said that, I don’t know if I have ever been a part of a team that improved more over the course of a season.”
Up next the Sun Devils travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the start of the PAC-12 tournament.