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Arizona State douses Oregon State for ugly win

Feb 8, 2009 - 7:00 AM CORVALLIS, Oregon (Ticker) -- Arizona State and Oregon State did their best to set basketball back in the opening 20 minutes on Saturday.

The 23rd-ranked Sun Devils went on to a 49-38 victory over the Beavers in a Pac-10 Conference contest that saw a total of 32 points scored before intermission.

Oregon State (10-12, 4-7 Pac-10) suffered a brutal sweep of the season series with the Sun Devils. The Beavers lost the first meeting, 69-38. This one may have been closer but was no better.

"Any time you hold them as a team to (49), you have to win that game," Beavers coach Craig Robinson said. "I'm disappointed on a lot of levels. I don't think we were mentally prepared to play tonight. I think our effort was terrific. But mentally, to beat a team that is ranked, you cannot make as many mistakes as we made.

"You cannot give up as many offensive boards as we did. We had outrebounded them until the last four minutes of the game. If you want to beat teams like this you cannot play that way."

Jamelle McMillan had 12 points and James Harden added seven for Arizona State, its only players to score in the opening half. Despite that and the fact that the Sun Devils made one two-point basket before intermission they led 19-13 at the break. Oregon State was 6-of-21 from the field before halftime, including 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.

McMillan had a good game in front of his father, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, who was able to take in the contest with his team having a night off.

"Always, when he gets the opportunity (to see a game), it's big time," Jamelle McMillan said. "He does everything he can with the time he has, so it was a big game for me."

Jeff Pendergraph joined the fun for the Sun Devils after intermission, connecting on his first six shots as Arizona State (18-5, 7-4) pushed its edge to 38-27 midway through the second half and didn't look back. Pendergraph finished with 15 points to lead the Sun Devils, who won their fourth straight conference road game.

The Sun Devils were without guard Derek Glasser, who was knocked cold in the second half of the game with Oregon on Thursday.

Rickey Claitt led Oregon State with 13 points but did not take any solace in that.

"They have been doing it for two years now, and they have gotten really good at it," the senior guard said. "But it still comes down to us having 12 turnovers and not getting enough offensive rebounds."

The Beavers' defense was spot-on despite the loss. Oregon State held Arizona State to just 35 percent from the field in the first half and 38 percent (16-of-42) for the game. The Sun Devils were held to just 29 percent from 3-point range.

"We just have to get past this weekend and focus on the Washington schools," Beavers freshman forward Kevin McShane said. "Like Rickey (Claitt) said they are both really good teams. They are going to be tough games to play, because they are away, and they are pretty hard places to play. So we have to focus on those teams and get to work."

Sophomore Lathen Wallace's nine points accounted for all of Oregon State's bench scoring.