Jahii Carson's 30 not enough as Sun Devils fall to No. 14 Creighton 87-73
Jahii Carson became just the fourth Sun Devil freshman to score 30 -- and the first to do it away from Tempe -- but it wasn't enough as Creighton topped the Sun Devils 87-73 in Las Vegas Saturday.
Carson and Carrick Felix (17 points) were both named to the All-Tournament team. ASU fell behind 27-9 in the first half but battled back and cut the deficit to six late in the game.
Carson's 30 points joins Mario Bennett (35 vs. No. 5 Arizona on Feb. 20, 1992), Byron Scott (31 vs. No. 18 Arizona on Feb. 23, 1980) and Ty Abbott (30 vs. California on Feb. 16, 2008) on the list of freshman to score 30.
MOST POINTS BY A SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN
1. 35, Mario Bennett vs. #5 Arizona, Feb. 20, 1992
2. 31, Byron Scott vs. #18 Arizona, Feb. 23, 1980
3. 30, Jahii Carson vs. #14 Creighton @Las Vegas, Nov. 24, 2012
3. 30, Ty Abbott vs. California, Feb. 16, 2008
It also marked the third game of at least 20 points for Carson, matching the likes of freshmen Eddie House (1996-97), Ron Riley (1992-93) and Byron Scott (1979-80).Christian Polk (2006-07) had four while Steve Beck (1983-84) had five, Jamal Faulkner (1990-91) had seven, Ike Diogu (2002-03) had 12 and James Harden has school record with 16 in 2007-08.
Creighton jumped out to a 27-9 lead at the 11:53 mark but ASU battled back to cut it to a 45-36 halftime lead. ASU cut it to six at the 12:21 mark on a bucket and free throw by Carson, but Creighton went on an 8-0 run in the next three minutes.
The Sun Devils cut it to six again with 3:24 left on a three-pointer by Jon Gilling and then again at the 2:51 mark on two free throws by Evan Gordon but could get no closer. Creighton All-American Doug McDermott had 29 points, as CU outrebounded ASU 41-30 and had 10 more field goal attempts
POSTGAME NOTES
--The Sun Devils have attempted more free throws than their opponents in every game this season. They were 21-of-28 (.760) against Creighton, who was 19-of-25 (.760).
--No Sun Devil opponent has shot better than 50 percent against ASU.
--After using 12 starting lineup combinations last year, ASU has started the same five each game this season.
--Carson's 30 points is the most scored by a Sun Devil freshman away from Tempe.
--Senior Carrick Felix after the 17-point performance vs. Creighton is shooting .540 from the field (540), 9-of-19 (.474) from the three-point stripe and is averaging 14.2 points. He also has 12 steals. --Jahii is now averaging 21.0 points per game and he has 25 assists and is shooting 37-of-49 (.755) from the foul line, getting to the line almost 10 times per game.
--Sophomore Jonathan Gilling posted six boards vs. Creighton and 13 rebounds vs. Arkansas and now has 46 on the year after grabbing just grabbing just 54 all of last season. He is averaging 9.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game through four games.