TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Graham Ike scored 20 points, Tyon Grant-Foster had 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, and No. 19 Gonzaga outlasted Arizona State 77-65 on Friday night.
The Bulldogs (4-0) opened
the season with three lopsided wins, but had a much tougher time in their first road game.
Up 13 at halftime, Gonzaga struggled offensively through most of the second half as the aggressive Sun Devils (2-1) trimmed the margin to five. The Zags kept Arizona State at bay behind their defense and consecutive 3-pointers by former Sun Devils guard Adam Miller that pushed the lead to 67-52.
Moe Odum led Arizona State with 12 points.
Gonzaga got off to a shaky start, unable to get its free-flowing offense going. With coach Mark Few telling them to settle down, the Zags finally got into a rhythm.
Gonzaga tightened up its defense — ASU missed 10 of 11 shots — to get out in transition and used half-court movement to get open shots.
The combination turned a five-point deficit into a 30-20 lead for Gonzaga that stretched to 45-32 by halftime.
The Sun Devils took their turn ratcheting up the defense to start the second half.
With Arizona State pressuring up high and cutting off the lanes, Gonzaga missed 11 of its first 13 shots as the Sun Devils pulled to 49-44.
Arizona State couldn't keep it up, though.
Coach Bobby Hurley got one of Arizona State's two technical fouls and the Sun Devils didn't hit a shot for more than five minutes. ASU still managed to keep it within reach until Miller's consecutive 3s with 5 1/2 minutes left.
Gonzaga plays No. 8 Alabama in Las Vegas on Nov. 24.
Arizona State hosts Georgia State on Monday.
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