Dec. 29, 2008
Updated ASU Statistics and CCSU-ASU Box Score in PDF Format
Tempe, Ariz.-
By Thomas Lenneberg, ASU Media Relations
In their final contest before Pac-10 play, James Harden scored 24 points and the Sun Devils shot an astounding 80 percent from the field in the first half as No. 17 Arizona State defeated Central Connecticut State 84-47 at Wells Fargo Arena.
Determined to finish 11-1 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, ASU dominated the Blue Devils in all aspects of the game. They put the pressure on early, sinking their first 15 shots from inside the 3-point line, while holding Central Connecticut to just 36 percent shooting from the floor.
After Central Connecticut pulled to within a point five minutes into the game, Arizona State went on a 14-2 run, capped off by an empathetic Harden dunk, When the horn finally blew to end the first half, the Sun Devils had built a 27-point lead and out-rebounded the opposition 18-to-3.
"Things have just been really flowing for us," stated senior Jeff Pendergraph.
An Eric Boateng lay-up with just under 13 minutes to play stretched ASU's lead to an insurmountable 44, giving young players Taylor Rhode, Kraidon Woods, and Nico Fricchione the chance to contribute solid minutes off the bench.
All four Sun Devils who started alongside Harden scored in double figures. Ty Abbott scored 15, followed by Pendergraph with 14. Rihards Kuksiks, one of the premier sharpshooters in college basketball, finished with 11 on 3-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Derek Glasser recorded 10 points and four assists, while Jamelle McMillan dished out five off the bench.
"It starts with James. He's always so unselfish; setting guys up...When you watch them you kind of get the sense that they like each other," said coach Herb Sendek.
Nine players scored and eight had at least one assist in the Sun Devils 37-point win. They shot 65.3 percent from the field, the eighth best field goal percentage in school history, and of their 32 fields goals, 23 came via assist.
"We've played better together the last two games. It's been fun basketball to watch," coach Sendek remarked about the state of his team heading into conference play. "It's been unselfish good basketball, so from that standpoint, it's a very positive note."
Harden, who finished with 24 points and six assists, showed why he is a pre-season All-American and highly touted draft pick. The Pac-10's leading scorer, with 23.7 points per game, started out the second half with an assist to Pendergraph for a dunk, then came down on defense and stole the ball, resulting in a three pointer for Kuksiks.
Pendergraph attested to Harden's influence on the game, saying, "Instead of guys worrying about how they're going to get their shot, they see James do his thing, and they just move where he can see them and they get open shots. It's helped everybody."
The Sun Devils have now won seven in a row and are 11-1 for just the second time in 34 seasons.