By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Tempe, Ariz.—Led by junior Gerry Blakes’ career-high 23 points and eight rebounds, the Arizona State men’s basketball team downed Colgate, 78-71, at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night. Despite a late push by the Raiders in the final minutes, the Sun Devils were able to keep Colgate at bay.
“We definitely needed this win to get us back on the winning track, and it meant everything to us to get this win,” said Blakes. “No matter how close it was, I’m just glad we got the win.”
ASU has now won 12 straight at home for the first time since it won 13 straight with victories in the final seven home games of 1979-80 and then first six of 1980-81. It has gone 38-5 in its past 43 home games and has won 20 of its past 21 in Wells Fargo Arena.
The current streak started on Jan. 5 last year, when ASU topped Washington State 66-47 after losing its Pac-12 home opener to Washington. ASU in that time beat Utah (NIT), Colorado (NCAA), Oregon State, Oregon (NCAA), second-ranked Arizona (NCAA Elite Eight), Stanford (NCAA Sweet 16) and future Hall of Fame Coach Mike Montgomery of California (NIT) in what turned out to be his final Pac-12 regular season game. ASU is holding opponents to 258-of-670 (.385) from the field and 60 points per game.
The dynamic trio of Blakes, senior Shaquielle McKissic, and freshman Tra Holder led the Sun Devils. McKissic posted 15 points and six boards, while Holder notched a career-high 11 points of his own. Overall, ASU shot .543 from the field and .710 from the line.
ODD STAT: Tonight marked the first time ASU allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent and won in the past in 29 games. The last time ASU beat a team and allowed them to shoot 50 percent was Jimmer Fredette-led BYU on Dec. 20, 2008, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, as ASU won 76-75. ASU is now 4-38 under Coach Sendek when it allows the opponent to shoot 50 percent.
“Gerry continues to establish himself as a real threat offensively, not only to score but to get other guys shots,” said ASU head coach Herb Sendek of Blakes’ performance. “Gerry is a talented player and any time you transition from junior college to the Pac-12, there is a learning curve. As he continues to get more comfortable with the additional mental parts that go into the game at this level and he starts feeling better about those things, I think his talent will continue to display itself.”
The first half saw a series of ties and lead changes, as ASU and Colgate duked it out on the court. Both teams got off to a sluggish start. The Sun Devils hovered around 40 percent from the field for the first 15 minutes, while Colgate went one for six in the opening minutes.
With five minutes till halftime and the score tied at 24, buckets by Blakes and McKissic and a three-pointer by Sai Tummala gave ASU the spark it needed. The Sun Devils pulled away with the lead in dramatic fashion. An alley-oop dunk by McKissic from Blakes gave ASU its first double-digit lead of the night. McKissic followed-up with a jumper at the buzzer, which sent both teams to the locker rooms with a 13-point ASU lead.
The Sun Devils came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. Blakes posted 10 points, including six from downtown, while Jonathan Gilling knocked down a trey of his own. But the Raiders weren’t giving up just yet.
Colgate slowly chipped away at ASU’s lead throughout the rest of the second half. A three-pointer from Damon Sherman-Newsome brought the Raiders within three with two minutes remaining in the game. Holder’s layup at 0:54 and free throws from Blakes and McKissic were the nails in the coffin for Colgate, as ASU was back up by seven with no time left on the clock.
“We did a great job of staying together,” said Blakes. “Colgate is a great defensive team and they did a great job both on offense and defense and gave us a battle. I think we did a good job staying together, and our toughness helped us pull this one out.”
“I thought for most of the first half we did a pretty good job,” said Sendek. “But, not unlike a series of our early games this season, we had way too many defensive breakdowns in the second half. We’ve got to become a better defensive team for 40 minutes. We’ve gotten off to pretty good starts. But there’s been stretches, like at the beginning of the second half tonight, where our defense just escapes and we pay dearly for that when it happens.”
Sun Devil Hoops returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 3, when ASU hosts UNLV at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
SHAQ’S TOP SCORING GAMES20 vs. Chicago State (11/14/14)*
19 vs. Grambling (12/14/13)*
18 vs. UC Irvine (12/28/13)*
16 at Utah (2/23/14)*
15 vs. Oregon (2/8/14)
15 vs. Colgate (11/29/14)
14 at DePaul (12/6/13)
*Sun Devil leading scorer