Men's Hoops Falls to Lehigh, 84-81, in 3OT
By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Tempe, Ariz.—Dropping its first home game of the season, the Arizona State men’s basketball team fell to Lehigh, 84-81, in triple overtime Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena. In his second game as a Sun Devil, sophomore Savon Goodman led ASU with a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, recording his first career double-double and going 9-of-11 for the night.
“Savon was very aggressive,” said ASU head coach Herb Sendek. “He was able to score, rebound the ball, and get to the free throw line. He brings a great deal of energy, and did a lot of good things today in his second game for us.”
Goodman's 24 points is the most by a Sun Devil off the bench since Steve Moore had 31 at UCLA on Feb. 10, 2005. It is tied for the sixth-most off the bench at ASU since the 1989-90 season.
MOST POINTS BY ASU PLAYER OFF THE BENCH (1989-90 TO PRESENT)
31-Steve Moore, Feb. 10, 2005 (@UCLA 96, ASU 76)
29-Shawn Redhage, Feb. 8, 2003 (ASU 79, @Washington 77, OT)
27-Lester Neal, Dec. 28, 1992 (ASU 103, Duquesne 81)
25-Stevin Smith, Dec. 28, 1992 (ASU 103, Duquesne 81)
25-Stevin Smith, Dec. 29, 1992 (ASU 100, Detroit Mercy 84)
24-Savon Goodman, Dec. 20, 2014 (Lehigh 84, ASU 81, 3 OT)
24-Isaac Austin, Dec. 19, 1989 (ASU 66, Dartmouth 55)
24-Tommy Smith, Feb. 10, 2001 (ASU 89, Washington 57)
24-Tanner Shell (Fr.), Jan. 20, 2000 (@USC 95, ASU 92, OT)
Also making an impact off the bench, sophomore Chance Murray was second in scoring for the Sun Devils with a career-high 17 points and four assists.
“[Murray] gave us the best chance at the point guard position as we moved into the second half,” said Sendek. “Unfortunately he ended up with some cramps so we had to take him out.”
Both teams got off to a slow start in the first 10 minutes, shooting only 33 percent from the field. Senior Shaq McKissic, who notched 13 points and nine rebounds on the night, opened scoring for the Sun Devils with back-to-back threes, but ASU was zero-for-four between those buckets. Lehigh also suffered an early scoring drought, making one-of-six in a five-minute period.
The Sun Devils then went another three minutes without scoring, failing to capitalize on a series of Mountain Hawks’ turnovers. Junior Roosevelt Scott ended ASU’s scoring drought with a layup from an assist by Goodman. With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, ASU trailed Lehigh by four.
Shaking off the slow start, the Sun Devils improved to 50 percent from the field and took advantage of four Lehigh turnovers. Off an assist from junior Gerry Blakes, junior Willie Atwood drained a three-pointer and tied the game at 18.
At the close of the first half, ASU hit the locker room trailing Lehigh by eight. The Sun Devils out-rebounded the Mountain Hawks 19-12, but had 13 turnovers to Lehigh’s seven.
“We played like we were lacking in confidence in the first half,” said Sendek. “We just didn’t have any rhythm and it almost seemed like we were walking on eggshells. We only had 24 first-half points and 13 turnovers, and then defensively we ended up giving up some buckets that we shouldn’t have. Our offense, with 13 turnovers in the first half, just puts you at such a disadvantage.”
Lehigh began to pull away with the lead early in the second half, shooting .750 from beyond the arc and leading by as many as 14. But the Sun Devils weren’t giving up just yet.
A three-pointer from senior Jonathan Gilling brought ASU within 10. The Sun Devils kept chipping away at Lehigh’s lead with an 11-0 run that included a series of free throws from Gilling and Goodman and another Gilling trey. ASU was down by three with 9:42 to go.
With a minute left on the clock and the game tied at 64, the entire crowd was on its feet. Lehigh’s leading scorer Tim Kempton missed a layup and Atwood grabbed the defensive board. ASU called a timeout with 9.9 seconds remaining, but then a missed jumper by Murray at the buzzer sent the game into overtime.
After three overtime periods, the Sun Devils ultimately fell to the Mountain Hawks 84-81. ASU had 58 points off the bench, compared to Lehigh’s 17, and had 15 assists on 30 field goals.
“We had to fight back to get in the lead the whole game,” said Goodman on how the game unfolded. “They came out and played tremendous. They hit incredible shots, got up and down the court, and got everyone involved. So I think we had to just settle down and stick to what we do.”
Up next, the Sun Devils face Detroit at home on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.