• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rochestie's 3-pointer lifts Washington St. to another surprise win

Mar 1, 2009 - 6:11 AM PULLMAN, Washington (Ticker) -- It was not a career high, but Taylor Rochestie shot down another one of the Pac-10's top teams.

Rochestie hit a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in overtime Saturday as Washington State pulled off a 51-49 victory over No. 11 Arizona State in a Pac-10 thriller.

After the Sun Devils missed a shot clinging to a 49-48 lead with 13 seconds left, the Cougars put the ball in the hands of Rochestie, who brought the ball up the court, gave it away and got it back before knocking down just his second shot of the game from the top of the key.

"At the end of the game I just wanted to make the right play and luckily enough that was the right play," Rochestie said.

"He's done it a few times," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said. "I remember when we got him from Tulane. One of the things, I can't remember who said it, their former assistant said, 'this kid makes a lot of game-winners'. And he did it as a freshman at Tulane. They weren't a good team then and he did it as a freshman."

Arizona State had a final chance, but Ty Abbott's heave from 40 feet out hit off the backboard and the side of the rim.

Rochestie finished with nine points, going just 2-of-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from the arc.

It was nowhere near the effort that the senior guard had in last Saturday's upset of UCLA when he notched a career high 33 points, shooting 5-of-7 on 3-pointers.

Freshman Klay Thompson had 17 points and seven rebounds for Washington State (16-13, 8-9 Pac-10), which won its third straight contest.

Rochestie did hit his first 3-pointer 82 seconds into the game to give Washington State a 5-0 advantage but went on to miss his next nine shots until the game-winner.

"I think I made my first shot of the game and my last shot of the game, kind of by any means necessary," Rochestie said.

"We just wanted this game, really, really bad. Throughout the season, we just really wanted this one. When I shot that last shot, I said 'this just has to go in, it just has to."

He also came up short on the front end of a 1-and-1 when the Cougars held a 43-40 lead with 15 seconds left in regulation, giving the Sun Devils a chance for the tie.

Although James Harden had just been 2-of-11 up to that point, Arizona State got the ball to its leading scorer, who was fouled by Marcus Capers on an attempt from the arc with two seconds left.

"I know everyone is out there going 'why don't they foul him and put him on the line for the bonus?' I could hear everybody saying that," Bennett said of the foul of Harden. "That's the great debate. Do you foul at that time or do you do it and try to let him hit a tough shot?"

Harden made all three free throws to force overtime, but fouled out 1:33 in while contending for a rebound with Thompson. Harden finished with 13 points.

"He didn't play one of his best games," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said of Harden.

Although Thompson missed the ensuing free throw, Caleb Forrest grabbed the offensive rebound and got the ball to Aron Baynes, who dunked to close Washington State within 46-45.

Rihards Kuksiks missed a 3-pointer for the Sun Devils and Rochestie completed three of four free throws to give the Cougars a 48-46 lead with 1:56 to play.

Derek Glasser, who had 10 points, hit a 3-pointer with 1:29 left to put Arizona State back ahead and Rochestie missed a layup on Washington State's next possession.

Jamelle McMillan also scored 10 points for the Sun Devils, who shot 7-of-20 (35 percent) from halftime on in getting swept in the season series by the Cougars.

"Just move on to the next game, that's all we can do," Sendek said.