(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
After a full week of rest, Arizona State clashed with a strong Pepperdine team, and a strong interior performance paced the Sun Devils to a 81-74 victory to extend their home-winning streak to 14 games.
The Sun Devils trailed Pepperdine for the majority of the game, but a 15-0 run midway through the second half gave ASU the push it needed to come out on top. The Sun Devils were led by spirited play from junior center Eric Jacobsen, senior forward Shaquielle McKissic, and junior guard Gerry Blakes, who combined for 58 total points.
Jacobsen surpassed his career-high with 20 points, 10 coming in the first half where he was a perfect 4 for 4 from the field and coupled that with nine rebounds.
McKissic also racked up a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.
The Waves came out hot in the first half, shooting 8 for 10 from the field, and junior forward Stacy Davis led the way with 12 first-half points.
Davis would finish with 26 points for the game, but ASU held the Waves scoreless for nearly four minutes to pull away with the win.
ASU turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and ended the game forcing 15 Pepperdine turnovers.
Player of the Game: Shaquielle McKissic
Jacobsen would be the easy pick looking at the box score, and the ASU offense ran through the junior for most of the game, but McKissic took over in the second half in all facets of the game. The senior racked up 14 of his 20 points in the second half to go along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists. His performance was by-far the most aggressive we’ve seen him all season. His energy on both ends of the floor seemed to rally his team that seemed uninspired for the early parts of the game.
Stat of the Night: 27-36 from the free-throw line in the second half
After shooting just 58.3 percent from the charity stripe in the first half, ASU locked in and took advantage of their ability to get to the rim. McKissic was a specific example, sinking five of six in the second half after going just 2-for-6 in the first 20 minutes of the game. Free-throw shooting has been something of an inconsistency for ASU, but the performance against the Waves showed that they can in fact take care of business at the free-throw line.
Biggest Concern: 3-13 from three-point land
ASU came into the game shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc, but Pepperdine, the nation’s leader in three-point defense (18.2 percent), kept the Sun Devils’ shooters from getting loose for clean looks. The Sun Devils didn’t sink their first three-point shot until there was 11:49 left remaining in the game, when Blakes knocked one in to extend ASU’s run. It took a strong individual effort from McKissic to get the Sun Devil offense going, but all signs from previous games point to the fact that ASU needs to regain the shooting form its had for the early part of the season.
What’s Next?
ASU will try to rack up its first road win as they travel to play Marquette, a team it defeated in thrilling fashion at home last season. The game will also be the first time sophomore forward Savon Goodman will be eligible to play, and he will surely provide a boost for the Sun Devils.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com
