 to trusting me. He hit me, I hit the shot. Stepped up, made a big-time play for the team, for the program.'' Luguentz Dort added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Remy Martin scored 16 for the Sun Devils, who will meet Utah State in the championship game on Wednesday.The Bulldogs, who will face Saint Mary's in the consolation game, were led by Aric Holman with 22 points and 10 rebounds.Arizona State, which climbed as high as No. 3 after opening last season 12-0, improved to 4-0, while handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the season (3-1).This year, the Sun Devils have scrapped the fast-paced, up-tempo style that saw them average 95.6 points after their first six games, to a blue-collar approach that includes a physicality that baffled Mississippi State. This season, thus far, the Sun Devils are averaging 86 points per game, and outrebounding teams, 51-34.''It's been a drastic change from last year; we were a fun, free-flowing team that could hit the deep 3s, and I had guards that could attack the lane, and we played a lot of small ball,'' Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. ''This year it's like the polar opposite of that. We talked about guys wanting to rebound, and you're not gonna find a team that's more imposing physically at all positions. For us to outrebound them is a statement to how physical we were.'' The Sun Devils held off a second-half rally by Mississippi State, which tied the game at 65 when Nick Weatherspoon drained a long-range jumper just inside the 3-point line with one minute left in the game.''They have great size, they're very physical, they played big - which is difficult for us - I thought they just pounded us,'' Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said. ''They're a very good team. I was really happy with the way we fought and came back in the second half after getting smashed in the mouth in the first half. We made a defensive mistake and came off (Lawrence) in the corner and we weren't supposed to and he hit the 3.'' Trailing by 15 at halftime, Mississippi State came out of the locker room firing, as it opened the second half on a 10-0 run and hit five 3-pointers during a 19-10 spurt to cut the lead to 49-43.The Bulldogs shot 15 of 36 (41.7 percent) from the floor in the second half.Arizona State outrebounded the Bulldogs 27-12 in the first half, including 10 on the offensive glass, and scored 14 second-chance points en route to a 39-24 halftime lead.In the early game, Neemias Queta had 24 points, nine rebounds and five blocks and Utah State beat Saint Mary's 80-63.For more college basketball coverage: http://www.collegebasketball.ap.org and http://twitter.com/-Top25)
Nov 18, 2018No. 17 Mississippi State and Arizona State enter Monday's game in the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas both at 3-0 and with their last win a rout of visiting Long Beach State.The Sun Devils were to play at San Francisco on Friday but the game was cancelled because of poor air quality as a result of the wildfire in Northern California.The Bulldogs last played Long Beach State on Friday night, winning 79-51, but the game had a tragedy of its own as sophomore guard Nick Weatherspoon severely twisted his left ankle only 29 seconds into the game.Weatherspoon (9.7 points a game and second on the team with seven assists) was carried off the court. He spent the first half in the locker room getting treatment and the second half on the team's bench in a walking boot.After the game, Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said Weatherspoon's availability against ASU would be determined based on the swelling in the ankle. About an hour after the game, Weatherspoon tweeted he would play Monday night. No official announcement has been made.Sophomore guard Tyson Carter scored 17 points in place of Weatherspoon against Long Beach State."Nick is a big part of our team offensively and defensively," Carter said. "I knew I had big shoes to fill." Carter scored 13 of his points in the first half, including his only 3-pointer of the night that started Mississippi State's comeback from a 28-21 deficit. His steal and assist on an Abdul Ado dunk tied the game and the Bulldogs were able to pull away. Mississippi State finished the first half on a 15-0 run to take a 36-28 halftime lead."We need him every night, no matter with or (without) Nick," Howland said of Carter. "I thought he did a really good job. He had a great line." Weatherspoon's older brother, senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, finished with 21 points. He has scored more than 20 points in the Bulldogs' three games.ASU defeated Long Beach State 90-58 last Monday in Tempe, Ariz., in a performance that fourth-year coach Bobby Hurley called, "probably the best defensive performance I've had here as a coach." The 49ers made only six baskets in the opening half and were held to 27.4 percent shooting for the game, ASU's best effort since it held Oregon State to .246 (14-57) on Feb. 11, 2010. Long Beach State shot 32.7 percent from the field in its loss to Mississippi State.ASU also dominated Long Beach State in rebounds 63-30. The 63 rebounds tied for the most by a Sun Devil team since 1996-97. The Sun Devils also had 63 rebounds on Nov. 27, 2002, against Utah in overtime.Mississippi State had a 52-34 edge in rebounds over Long Beach State.In all three of their games, the Sun Devils have had at least five players in double figures.Freshman guard Luguentz Dort leads ASU with 21.7 points a game and he is also averaging 7.7 rebounds a game. Fifth-year senior forward Zylan Cheatham is averaging a double-double (13.3 points and 10.0 rebounds a game).Senior guard Remy Martin paced ASU with 15 points against Long Beach State, still recovering from an ankle sprain suffered Oct. 10."He is doing great and getting close to back to where we want him at and we need him," said Hurley. "It's good to see him moving better. He's a great leader, great competitor to even play those first couple games when he wasn't 100 percent."
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