Men's hoops starts fast and wins by 32, 91-59

November 28, 2007

By Matt Storey, ASU Media Relations<separator></separator>The ASU men's basketball team lit up the scoreboard Wednesday night, defeating Florida Gulf Coast 91-59 to improve to 4-1 on the season.<separator></separator>The Sun Devils' 91 points was their highest total since a 98-94 loss to USC on Jan. 15, 2005, and their 54 first-half points was the most since scoring 58 in the first half against USC on Feb. 13, 2003.<separator></separator>Combined with a 34-point win Monday over Cal Poly, this gave ASU its first back-to-back victories of 30 points or more since December 1990.<separator></separator>"I thought our team did a really good job, all in all," head coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/sendek_herb00.html">He… Sendek</a> said. "We shot the ball well and continue to play very unselfishly. I thought it was a good win for us."<separator></separator>After getting out to a 19-2 lead Monday against Cal Poly, the Sun Devils had an even better start to this game. They hit their first five 3-point attempts and led 28-6 after just eight minutes of action.<separator></separator>Overall, they made nine 3-pointers in the first half and led by as many as 37 before taking a 28-point lead into the break.<separator></separator>"They were really ready to play at the beginning," Sendek said of his team. "I thought we came out as sharp as we have been all season offensively."<separator></separator>ASU then began the second half by making its first four 3-point attempts, and ending up making 14 total 3-pointers en route to the 32-point victory.<separator></separator>Freshmen guard <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/harden_james00.html">J… Harden</a> led the Sun Devils in scoring for the third time in five games this season. He had 22 points on 8-9 shooting, including making his first two 3-pointers of the year.<separator></separator>"My teammates did a real good job of finding me tonight, and I had the confidence to knock it down," Harden said.<separator></separator>Three other Sun Devils scored in double figures, with sophomore guard <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/polk_christian00.html"… Polk</a> and freshman guard <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/abbott_ty00.html">Ty Abbott</a> each scoring 15 while junior forward <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/pendergraph_jeff00.htm… Pendergraph</a> had 10. In all, ten different Sun Devils scored in the win.<separator></separator>"There are a lot more offensive weapons this year," Polk said. "We've got a lot better shooters, and I think we're real deep."<separator></separator>ASU's two point guards, sophomore <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/glasser_derek00.html">… Glasser</a> and freshman <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/mcmillan_jamelle00.htm… McMillan</a>, combined for 10 assists and just two turnovers.<separator></separator>"Those guys really had a good game tonight," Sendek said. "They really made their teammates better."<separator></separator>The Sun Devils held Florida Gulf Coast to just 38 percent field goal shooting and forced 24 turnovers, but the Eagles did make 13 3-pointers on the night.<separator></separator>"They didn't need a lot of time and space to get their shots," Sendek said of Florida Gulf Coast. "The one thing that we're disappointed in is we didn't guard the 3-point line as well as we needed to for 40 minutes."<separator></separator>ASU will next head to Nebraska for its first road game of the season Sunday.<separator></separator>"It will be a great test for us," Sendek said of that upcoming game. "It will be our first true road test of the year; for many of our guys, their first road game ever. So we have to look forward to that challenge on Sunday." <separator></separator>