March 14, 2009

Sun Devils Robbed Against USC in 2nd Straight Pac-10 Tourney

Final Analysis:
USC was awarded the Pacific Ten conference championship by Dave Libbey. Nothing else can be said about it. USC shot fifteen more free throws, ASU did not even step to the foul line until late in the second half, and every single call down the stretch favored the Trojans. Nothing you can really say about it, ASU played their hearts out down the stretch, shooting 45% in the second half, but could not overcome absolutely horrendous officiating from the Pac-Ten's worst referee.
I don't know what I can give you for final analysis. Nothing adds up out there. Congratulations to the Pac-10 Conference for assuring that the Trojans earn a tournament bid.

Final Media Timeout: ASU 60, USC 55
ASU finally gets some free throws, after USC takes the first 15 of the game. Ty Abbott makes one of two with 4:25 left in the game. The team foul count for the game is now ASU 12, USC 7, with USC somehow shooting six and a half times as many free throws. Danny Sullivan, ASU's possible starting quarterback next season, is in attendance and was just shown on the big screen, with very little crowd response.
Clearly, no one knows who he is...Go Football

Fourth Media Timeout: ASU 57, USC 53
USC continues to hang around, and ASU continues to let them. The Devils are still shooting well, but they're allowing too many points to USC and the officiating is helping out by calling very few fouls, which plays into the hands (and hand-checks) of USC's physical defense. ASU can still win this one by trading baskets, but they'd be much better off if they could clamp down on defense and pull away sooner than later, without allowing another controversial call to decide this one. USC has gotten as close as 3 points here in the second half, and currently it's a four-point lead for the Sun Devils.
The next four minutes of this game are crucial to ASU's success. They've squandered a big cushion and are now flying by the seat of their pants. Derek Glasser won't miss unless he's fouled, and Jeff and James are still running the pick and roll to perfection. Don't Foul. For the Love of God, Don't Foul.

Third Media Timeout: ASU 53, USC 49
After it looked like ASU had stopped the bleeding, USC has picked right back up, reeling off 8 of 10 points to pull within 5. Kuksiks makes an ill-advised drive to the basket, getting rejected with the result a fast-break layup by DeRozan, with a poor foul by Ty Abbott luckily not resulting in a made three-point play. After a Dwight Lewis dunk, James temporarily slows the bleeding with his third triple of the game. Ty Abbott commits a pair of fouls in 13 seconds to give him 3 for the game, continuing his trend of getting in foul trouble when he's otherwise playing well. Luckily for the Devils, Derek Glasser just can't seem to miss a big shot. He has 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
ASU just can't seem to find their killer instinct in big games. For the third consecutive game, they've allowed a large lead to slip away and are skating on thin ice. Sooner or later, it will catch up with them.

Second Media Timeout: ASU 46, USC 35
USC has come storming out of the half, forcing 4 ASU turnovers and starting the half on a 11-2 run to close within 6 before Ty Abbott answers with a 3, giving him 11 points in the game. USC is playing a full-court press on the Devils, and it's working so far much better in the 2nd half than it did in the first. Derek Glasser hits a runner with the shot clock winding down to get the lead back to double-figures
Derek Glasser is making great strides to be the MVP of the tournament. His clutch baskets are falling right when the Devils absolutely need to stop the bleeding. What was a big time run seems like crisis averted for now.

First Media Timeout: ASU 41, USC 31
Devils come out a bit sloppy, committing a pair of backcourt turnovers leading to easy USC points. Jeff Pendergraph has another dunk for ASU's points, but Herb didn't like what he was seeing and called a quick timeout, leading to our first break of the second half.

Halftime: ASU 39, USC 24
Finally two things happen: USC is called for a foul, and James Harden is on the board. Taj Gibson is called away from the play, and on the next possession James lines up a top-of-the-arc three and nails it for a 13-point ASU lead. After a USC free throw, Herb calls a :30 to set up ASU's final offensive play of the half. After a Daniel Hackett foul on the floor, James nails another three and the clock runs out on the half, with ASU comfortably ahead.
If anything, USC certainly understands how to defend James Harden. But without Demar DeRozan and Daniel Hackett, they'd barely be on the board. The Devils have done an excellent job spreading the ball around with all five starters on the board and their three pointers are really dropping. Both Jeff and Derek are carrying over superb showings yesterday with double digits in the first half. Keep it up, Devils!
The Devils are led on the scoreboard by Glasser and Pendergraph with 10 each, followed by Ty Abbott with 8. James Harden has 6 points and 5 assists. For USC Hackett has 11 and DeRozan has 9. It was a very clean half, with only 4 turnovers and 6 fouls between the two teams.

Once again, Adam and Ben are here with you, with Adam's comments in plain text, and Ben's insights in italics.

Check back at every media timeout and at the end of the game for updates and analysis, courtesy of your friends at The Sports Lounge.

Sports Since 1982, The Blaze 1260 AM!

last updated on 09.03.14 at 5:02 PM | direct link

Sun Devils Face Men of Troy for Pac-Ten Championship

We'll be back with a new post for the second half.

Halftime: ASU 39, USC 24
Finally two things happen: USC is called for a foul, and James Harden is on the board. Taj Gibson is called away from the play, and on the next possession James lines up a top-of-the-arc three and nails it for a 13-point ASU lead. After a USC free throw, Herb calls a :30 to set up ASU's final offensive play of the half. After a Daniel Hackett foul on the floor, James nails another three and the clock runs out on the half, with ASU comfortably ahead.
If anything, USC certainly understands how to defend James Harden. But without Demar DeRozan and Daniel Hackett, they'd barely be on the board. The Devils have done an excellent job spreading the ball around with all five starters on the board and their three pointers are really dropping. Both Jeff and Derek are carrying over superb showings yesterday with double digits in the first half. Keep it up, Devils!
The Devils are led on the scoreboard by Glasser and Pendergraph with 10 each, followed by Ty Abbott with 8. James Harden has 6 points and 5 assists. For USC Hackett has 11 and DeRozan has 9. It was a very clean half, with only 4 turnovers and 6 fouls between the two teams.

Fourth Media Timeout: ASU 30, USC 23
A rather uneventful portion of the game there, the only points coming on a DeMar DeRozan jumper.
There is no reason to be alarmed for the Devils. Defensively, they're tightening up and making smart decisions on offense. Despite the lack of points in the last few minutes, they aren't allowing the Trojans much space either. Could we get some foul calls our way, maybe?
Good point, there have only been 3 total fouls called in the game's first 17:04, and none on USC. There have been some fouls let go, including recently in rebounding action on the USC end where Jeff Pendergraph was hauled down from behind by Taj Gibson with no call. We'll see where this goes.

Third Media Timeout: ASU 30, USC 21
It appears that Ty Abbott really is back. He hits another pair of 3s to give him 8 points, his 4th straight good start to a game. But he left for the locker room during this timeout, we'll check into why. Meanwhile, Pendergraph is still giving Troy all sorts of trouble on the pick and roll play, making himself the first to double figures with 10 points, 6 of them on pick-and-roll layups. He's looked great today. Also of note, 13 of ASU's first 20 shots have been from inside the arc, unusual for this team and maybe a sign of growing confidence in not having to rely on the threeball. And when they have taken it, they've hit it, going 4 for 7 from long range.

Second Media Timeout: ASU 17, USC 17
Devils continue to look good on the offensive end, especially running the pick and roll with Pendergraph, one of their go-to plays. But they have not performed as well on the defensive side, allowing too many open looks to USC's shooters, who have now hit 7 of 11 from the field, including a pair of Daniel Hackett threes.
Don't look now, but Daniel Hackett is playing a dangerous game against the Devils. He's already at 9 points and doesn't show signs of slowing. Meanwhile, James Harden hasn't hit the board quite yet, but he's getting great help from Derek Glasser and Jeff Pendergraph. The team needs to stop fouling if they hope to keep up.
James Harden is scoreless so far, with Pendergraph's 8, Derek Glasser's 7 and a layup from Ty Abbott accounting for all of ASU's points. The first three fouls of the game have gone against ASU.

First Media Timeout: ASU 10, USC 5
Both teams going back-and-forth in the early going, with the Devils scoring first and USC responding every time. Pendergraph has 6 of ASU's first 10 points in the early going on a nice dunk, a long jumper and a gorgeous pick and roll with James Harden. Derek Glasser has the other 4 on a pair of driving layups. USC got an early 3 from Daniel Hackett and a Taj Gibson layup, but ASU has looked pretty good in the early going, a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.

Here are the starting lineups for both teams:
ASU: F Jeff Pendergraph, F Rihards Kuksiks, G Ty Abbott, G Derek Glasser and G James Harden
USC: F DeMar DeRozan, F Taj Gibson, G Daniel Hackett, G Marcus Simmons, and G Dwight Lewis

Welcome back to Staples Center for the final game of the 2009 Pac-Ten Tournament. The Sun Devils and Trojans are probably not the teams that people expected to see in this game, but the 4th-seeded Sun Devils and 6th-seeded Trojans are the two that have survived this far. A win for the Devils could put them as high as a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament, while USC almost certainly needs a win just to get in at all.

Once again, Adam and Ben are here with you, with Adam's comments in plain text, and Ben's insights in italics.

I hate to put this in perspective, but the Devils will have to be on top of their games today and play almost "mistake free" basketball. Notorious Pac-10 official Dave Libbey has been announced to referee this contest. Over the back, anyone?

Check back at every media timeout and at the end of each half for updates and analysis, courtesy of your friends at The Sports Lounge.

Sports Since 1982, The Blaze 1260 AM!

last updated on 09.03.14 at 3:12 PM | direct link

March 13, 2009

Devils Defeat Huskies, Will Play for Pac-Ten Title

Derek Glasser is the player of the game, despite what the stat sheet might say. He had 16 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds, all at the absolute most critical moments of the game. He was beat up most of the game, and despite drawing perhaps a foolish Technical Foul, he still was the most clutch player on the floor in this game.
In the end, cooler heads will always prevail out there on the court. Derek Glasser absolutely took over every facet of this game after he sat following a technical foul. Derek's performance both in and outside the paint was outstanding in the second half, and he alone carried the team when they needed it. James Harden struggled to keep control when the Huskies roared back, but luckily, it was Glasser, along with some contributions from Jeff Pendergraph, that solidified this victory for the Devils. In the end, it came down to good ol' veteran leadership.
Every time Washington mounted a run, Derek was the one to stop it.

Be back TOMORROW at 3 PM for the exciting Pac-Ten Final between the Sun Devils and either the UCLA Bruins or the USC Trojans. We'll let you know here who that will be at the end of tonight's second game.
No matter who wins tonight, ASU will definitely be the road team in that one...
That's very true. Also, tonight ASU became the first team in this year's Tournament to win when not scoring first. Probably a meaningless stat, but an interesting one nonetheless. We'll see you back here tomorrow afternoon, until then for Ben Benya, I'm Adam Ostrow, good night and GO DEVILS!

Final Media Timeout: ASU 67, UW 60
Derek Glasser is perhaps the most clutch player on this team. He has 12 points, all in the second half, and all at absolutely critical moments. He had a layup to stop UW's 8-0 run, a jumper to stop a 10-2 Husky run, and a pair of 3's as part of ASU's 9-0 run to regain the lead.

Fourth Media Timeout: ASU 56, UW 55
UW is now firmly in control at this point, outscoring the Devils by 16 this half. ASU really hasn't shown much interest in rebounding or driving the lane this half, and seem to be playing nervous while Washington looks comfortable. ASU's one hope is that the Law of Averages says this can't go on forever, and if the pendulum swings the other way soon, ASU could regain control, much like they did at home against Arizona after blowing the same 17 point lead.
I got nothin.'

Third Media Timeout: ASU 52, UW 48
UW now on a 21-8 run, to close to as close as they've been since ASU's big first half streak. A huge turn of events unfolded in this last sequence, as James Harden drove to the lane, made the basket and was fouled. As he got up, Venoy Overton got in his face, then flopped like Vlade Divac, grabbing Harden's jersey and pulling him down with him. Derek Glasser then walked over Overton, who was on the floor. After both coaches came out to break up the fray, official Mike Scyphers ruled Technical Fouls on Glasser, Harden and Overton, effectively giving Washington the benefit for instigating a fight. Harden now has 3 fouls, but will head to the line himself after this timeout.

Second Media Timeout: ASU 44, UW 33
A 6-0 run has UW back in sniffing distance of the Devils. Isaiah Thomas has 4 of the 6, with the others coming on an alley-oop from Venoy Overton to Justin Holliday. Also, a quick correction: The Sparky at this game is back to wearing the old-style uniform, after he had the new men's style one earlier for the Women's game.

First Media Timeout: ASU 44, UW 27
Pendergraph and Harden are trying to take control, JP hitting a couple of shots, including a big dunk, each has a steal. A concern is Ty Abbott picking up his third foul.
It does seem lately like whenever Ty has himself a good game, he winds up in foul trouble. Still, this is three straight good games for Abbott, a great sign if you're the Devils. If they can get both Ty and Rik, who was scoreless in the first half, on their game, ASU will be tough to beat.

This is the Blaze 1260 AM's Live Blog presentation with Adam Ostrow and Ben Benya of the Sports Lounge. For this conversation, Adam's message will appear in normal font, while Ben will be typing in italics.
Keep checking out the blog for updates at each media timeout courtesy of The Sports Lounge on The Blaze!

last updated on 09.03.13 at 8:16 PM | direct link

Sun Devils Look for Semifinal Victory Over Washington

Halftime: ASU 38, UW 21
Devils are really looking good right now, running Washington out of the gym so far after their slow start. Devils close the half on a 33-10 run, which would have been more if Ty Abbott hadn't fouled Justin Dentmon while Dentmon was hitting a 3. Dentmon converted the 4-point play to conclude the scoring for the half.
The Devils did a spectacular job playing "rope-a-dope" with a very aggressive Huskies team. Neither Washington nor ASU could hit early on, but it would inevitably jynx the Huskies and motivate the Devils. Harden looked like the Pac-10 Player of the Year for sure and Abbott continues to be an incredibly key role player on both sides of the ball. Together, they're lighting up UW. Let's hope for more of the same in the 2nd half.
Ty Abbott has 12 points, giving him back-to-back double digit games for the first time since he scored 14 and 15 points against Idaho State and Central Connecticut State, respectively.
We'll be back with a new post for the Second Half, stay right here with us.

Fourth Media Timeout: ASU 28, UW 15
The Devils are really getting rolling now, with back-to-back threeballs by James Harden and a gorgeous jump hook by Eric Boateng putting the Devils up 13. It's now a 21-4 run, including the 13-0 run, eerily similar to a similar run that did in the Lady Devils earlier today against USC. For more information on that game, check the posts below.

Third Media Timeout: ASU 20, UW 13
Devils go on a 13-0 run on Friday the 13th to take the lead for the first time tonight. On an odd play, Ty Abbott makes a running teardrop, but is apparently called for a foul after the shot, which was at first called no basket, and later reversed. A midrange jumper by Isaiah Thomas puts a stop to the run, but Pendergraph hits another for ASU to bring us to the break.

Second Media Timeout: UW 11, ASU 7
The teams combined to go 3 for their first 18, before a Ty Abbott 3-pointer and a Jon Brockman layup gives us a 5-point Explosion of Offense. Elston Turner hits a three and it's a six-point Washington lead. Ty Abbott is continuing his nice play of late with 5 straight points for the Devils, we'd love to see him stay hot...

First Media Timeout: UW 6, ASU 2
Devils come out cold offensively, luckily so does Washington. Lots of turnovers and misses for both teams in the early going but Washington has hit enough to lead by 4. The teams are shooting a combined 3-of-11 with 6 turnovers in the first 4 1/2 minutes.

Starting Lineups:
ASU-Derek Glasser, Ty Abbott, Rihards Kuksiks, James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph
UW-Quincy Pondexter, Jon Brockman, Darnell Gant, Isaiah Thomas, and Justin Dentmon

Welcome to Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for this semifinal contest between your Arizona State Sun Devils and the Washington Huskies. This is the Blaze 1260 AM's Live Blog presentation with Adam Ostrow and Ben Benya of the Sports Lounge. For this conversation, Adam's message will appear in normal font, while Ben will be typing in italics.

Adam, yesterday we noticed that ASU played incredibly strong against the Arizona Wildcats with James Harden leading the way. What will the Devils need to do this evening to beat a Washington team that they are currently 0-2 against this season?

They'll need to do a better job of controlling the perimeter, on both ends of the floor. In two losses to the Huskies this year, the Devils were just 11-of-46 (24%) from three-point range. They defended the perimeter better in the second game, up in Seattle, but allowed a Washington parade to the foul line. Washington, in two games vs ASU this year, has averaged 32.5 free throw attempts, which is simply too many. In both games, Washington made more free throws than the Sun Devils even attempted.

The Devils got into foul trouble early against Arizona yesterday, having to rely heavily on a shortened bench without Jamelle McMillan. Both Eric Boateng and Jerren Shipp played big minutes that were crucial to the Devils success, and when they went to the line, they rarely missed. However, the Devils struggled to draw many fouls, garnering only 11 fouls from the opposition. The Devils were also very weak on the offensive boards.

That's a major area of concern going into this game. The Devils were minus-10 on the offensive glass and minus-6 over all on the boards against UA, and Washington is a much better team in the paint than Arizona. However, the Devils held their own in the two games with Washington, averaging only a minus-3 and actually garnering one more offensive rebound over the two games.

Sparky Sun Devil has finally achieved the glory we've been waiting for all season. That's right, he's wearing the new Arizona State Men's basketball jersey.

No more Ike Diogu-style jersey for Sparky, at least from what he was wearing at the Women's game.

It's about time, and it's about time we get ready with just under 15 minutes to go before the opening tip. Keep checking out the blog for updates at each media timeout courtesy of The Sports Lounge on The Blaze!

last updated on 09.03.13 at 6:28 PM | direct link

Lady Devils Fall to Women of Troy in LA

Final: USC 70, ASU 65
The Devils did their best to come back, but USC just could not miss, especially from long-range, and the Devils were unable to overcome the Trojans' 23-4 first-half run, after which the Devils never led. ASU put four players in double figures, led by Danielle Orsillo's 17 points and 7 rebounds. Lauren Lacey added 14, Briann January 13 and Kayli Murphy 12. On the USC side, Camille LeNoir led the way with 18, followed closely by Heather Oliver with 17 and Brynn Cameron with 10. ASU out-rebounded USC by 7 but the 30 points from the perimeter to ASU's 9 was just too much to make up for.

Keep it here for updates from tonight's Men's Semifinal as your Devils take on the Washington Huskies for a spot in the Men's Final tomorrow at Staples Center. Tonight's tip is scheduled for 6 PM.

Fourth Media Timeout: USC 66, ASU 60
Devils got as close as 3 points on a Briann January jumper, but USC answered with their tenth 3-pointer of the game to regain the six-point lead. USC misses a jumper and the scramble for possession of the rebound results in a jump-ball, with the arrow pointing the Sun Devils' way. This game is still within reach, but the Devils will need to play virtually flawlessly the rest of the way. They need to get to the line and score some points with the clock stopped, and they MUST deny USC the three-point line.

Third Media Timeout: USC 58, ASU 52
The threes just keep falling for USC, and even with ASU getting layups, you can't trade 2s for 3s and expect to win, unless you can make the 3s stop falling. The Women of Troy have made 8 three-pointers to ASU's two. On the bright side, the Devils are now in the bonus the rest of the way after Briann January draws a foul and sinks a pair. A circus shot layup by Danielle Orsillo cut the lead to six just before the break; now they need to deny USC the open three point looks and keep scoring inside.

Second Media Timeout: USC 50, ASU 43
Devils are still struggling to string together stops and scores, but they're still in this game. Briann January just came up with a steal and got fouled, giving USC 5 team fouls already in this one. If the Devils can force the issue and draw a few more fouls they can get back into this one at the charity stripe. Defense is still an issue, with USC shooting 54% for the game, and 46% from long-range. Camille LeNoir has re-entered the game after getting a quick breather.

First Media Timeout: USC 46, ASU 37
USC came out for the second half right where they we in the middle of the first: scoring seemingly at will against ASU's usually stout defense. For the game USC is hitting 54.5% of their shots. The Devils have hit some shots, but not enough to make up for the shaky defense they've been playing. This wouldn't look good to the selection committee, who could quickly forget ASU's big win over Cal last week. One bright spot so far is Lauren Lacey, who has 14 points to put her in double figures for the first time since she had 19 in Oregon in January.

Halftime: USC 34, ASU 28
Devils started well, up 7-2 early, before USC went on a 23-4 run to take a 25-11 lead before the Devils started chipping away, eventually scoring the last six point of the half to pull within six at the break. Second half updates start with the first media timeout.

Sports Since 1982, The Blaze 1260 AM!

last updated on 09.03.13 at 12:47 PM | direct link

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