ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils survive second-half scare and defeat Colgate Raiders with efficient shooting

(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)

In a back-and-forth affair, Arizona State ended their two-game losing skid with a 78-71 victory over the Colgate Raiders.

With the score knotted at 22 apiece in the first half, the Sun Devils went on a 10-2 run toward the latter part of the half, and senior forward Shaquielle McKissic knocked in a three at the buzzer to give his team a 43-30 lead at the break.

The Raiders would storm back, however, sinking six shots from beyond the arc, two coming from junior guard Austin Tillotson. He would score a team-high 22 points as his team chipped the deficit to three points with 2:19 to go after senior guard Damon Shermon-Newsome converted on another three-pointer.

Free throws from McKissic and junior guard Gerry Blakes would close out the win for ASU, who remain undefeated at home through four contests.

Player of the Game: Gerry Blakes

The 6-foot-4 guard racked up a game-high 23 points, 14 of which came in crucial fashion in the second half. He was also effective on the boards, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds, all of which were defensive. His all-around game has been a big factor for the Sun Devils, and stable productivity from the 2-spot will be critical moving forward for a team still searching for their offensive identity.

Biggest Concern: Willie Atwood

The junior forward has been quiet thus far for ASU. Despite being highly-touted coming out of the JUCO ranks, Atwood has yet to establish a niche in the Sun Devil offense as revealed by his miniscule two shots attempted against Colgate. He also racked up just two rebounds in 17 minutes, but a player of Atwood’s talent-level will likely emerge once sophomore forward Savon Goodman becomes eligible and relieves some interior effort for Atwood.

Stat of the Night: 54 percent from the field

The Sun Devils were much more efficient on offense despite committing 19 turnovers, which is a constant thorn in their side. That being said, being proficient with their possessions has been a positive theme, and the amount of balance across the board as well as the sharing of the basketball was on display.

What’s next?

ASU welcomes the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels into Wells Fargo Arena for what will likely be their biggest challenge since the CBE Classic last weekend. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. and will be shown on the Pac-12 Networks.

You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com

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