ASU Basketball: Devils Hold on Against Oregon State
By Mike Slifer
Feb 6, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Jahii Carson (1) makes a pass against the Oregon State Beavers during the second half at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
This article was contributed by Jesse Borek
After coming off the bench and disappearing offensively for the majority of the game, Jon Gilling buried his second three pointer of the day with under a minute to go to clinch the game for the Sun Devils.
With the 86-82 overtime victory on James Harden Beard Appreciation Night, the Sun Devils move to 12-1 at Wells Fargo Center this season. More importantly, they win their sixth PAC-12 conference game of the year.
The story of the game is senior center Jordan Bachynski, who with his seven blocks, has rewritten the record books for blocked shots in the history of PAC-12 play, rejecting his 279th shot of his Arizona State career. Anthony Cook of the University of Arizona held the previous record at 278.
At the start of the game, it looked as if Bachynski was searching for the proper touch, being far too tentative. Suddenly, he became the player many believe will be selected in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft. He dominated the game on both ends of the floor. Bachynski finished the night with 17 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots, to unquestionably earn player of the night honors.
The pink and yellow customized Chris Paul sneakers did not seem to aid Roberto Nelson in the first half, as the PAC-12’s leading scorer was stifled by the aggressive play of shutdown swingman, Shaquille McKissic. As most pure scorers do, Nelson turned on the jets in the second half and into overtime, finishing the game with 26 points and almost single handedly leading the charge back late in the contest.
Jahii Carson had the opportunity to win the game at the buzzer in regulation when the game was deadlocked at 64, but fell short on his fade away jumpshot. Carson, along with the rest of the club, struggled from the free throw stripe, with Carson himself going 13-18, and the club finishing at 25-40, leaving them just above a modest 62%. Despite a tough night from the field, Carson finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Jermaine Marshall was Arizona State’s leading scorer with 25 points. He struggled from behind the arc in the first half going 1-for-6, but seemed to find some consistency later on in the game, burying two crucial threes when it mattered most.
The turnaround is lightning quick for the Sun Devils who now have to prepare for the high octane offense of the Oregon Ducks, who just narrowly missed defeating the #2 ranked Arizona Wildcats in their home building earlier on Thursday evening.
In order to match the firepower of the Ducks, the Devils will certainly need to have contributions from more than just the trio of Bachynski, Carson and Marshall.
The Oregon Ducks (15-7, 3-7) travel to Tempe on Saturday afternoon for a 3 P.M. start against the Sun Devils (17-6, 6-4) in what should be a crucial game for both teams as résumé building becomes all the more magnified at this point in the season.