Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Arizona State
'Dogs Beat ASU in Absolute Thriller
12/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TEMPE, Ariz. - There is a lot to be said for playing with heart and purpose.
On Wednesday afternoon in the desert, Fresno State used every ounce of that effort to erase a 17-point first-half deficit and stun the Pacific-12's Arizona State 68-65 in an absolute thriller.
With the Bulldogs down 65-64, sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer from the left wing with a hand in his face and 29.9 seconds remaining for the two-point lead.
After ASU's Keala King missed a layup with 12 seconds left, Fresno State senior Jonathan Wills added a free throw with eight seconds left for the last point.
The Bulldog defense, which held the Sun Devils to 31.8 percent shooting in the second half, locked down on the final possession that ended when Bulldogs guard Garrett Johnson reeled in the most important rebound of the game off Arizona State's Kyle Cain misfire from the top of the key in the waning seconds.
"More than anything, I am so proud of our guys," head coach Rodney Terry said of the road victory in Tempe. "We stayed together even when we got down. We are going to be in games like this all year and have to always keep grinding."
Olekaibe scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half to rally Fresno State (5-8) from the 38-21 deficit with 1:52 left before halftime and fueled the Bulldogs' incredible 32-8 run over a 14-minute span for a seven-point edge at 53-46.
ASU responded with a 16-6 stretch for a three-point advantage (62-59), capped by a Trent Lockett 3-pointer with 2:23 to go.
Olekaibe then took over. He tallied the Bulldogs next eight points - none bigger than his last of five 3-pointers in the game that helped seal it.
"Shepp kept finding me and I just did my job," Olekaibe said of the 'Dogs senior point guard. "We stepped it up after halftime and it feels great to get the win."
Arizona State (4-8) has had four straight games decided by shots in the final seconds, losing the last three. King led the Sun Devils with 22 points and six rebounds.
Wills added 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds for Fresno State and redshirt sophomore Jerry Brown pounded his way to 10 points. With the win, the Bulldogs picked up its second victory over a school from a BCS-AQ conference this season as Fresno State dominated Utah by 30 points earlier this month.
This was the first meeting between ASU and Fresno State since 1971.
The 'Dogs will return to the court on next Wednesday up in Stockton for a non-conference contest against the Pacific Tigers, who are undefeated at home at 4-0 including wins over Utah State and Hawai'i.
"We Are Your Team!" --- The Bulldogs will finish up a three-game road span next Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Pacific. The game can be heard live on KMJ 580 AM with tip off slated for 7:30 p.m. PT. Be sure to follow Terry's Tweets from the road trip on Twitter (@RodneyTerry). The next chance to see the 'Dogs in the Save Mart Center is Jan. 2 when Boise State visits the Save Mart Center for the 2012 opener.
