ASU Sun Devils dominate second half, defeat UNLV: By the Numbers

The UNLV Rebels came into their contest Wednesday with just one loss on the season, and they initially looked eager to steal a game in Tempe.

The Rebels jumped out to an early double-digit lead, but Arizona State put together a rally and the deficit was gone in a flash. UNLV had to scramble just to tie the game up heading into halftime.

From there, the home team came out with all the momentum, eventually taking a double-digit lead of its own with under 10 minutes to play.

ASU stayed strong until the end, winning by a final of 77-55. The Sun Devils claimed their second victory in a row and improved to 5-2. They also atoned for a six-point road loss to the Rebels on Nov. 19 of last season.

UNLV was handed its first road loss of the season, falling to 4-2 overall.

Here’s a look a Wednesday’s contest, by the numbers:

2

Junior center Eric Jacobsen is looking pretty good so far in his first year as a starter. He picked up his second double-double of the season Wednesday with game highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also added four assists and three blocked shots. The game also marked his fourth time scoring in double-figures this season.

5-0

ASU is off to a 5-0 start at home. The team started the same way last year before losing badly to Creighton in its sixth home opportunity.

11-22

After two quiet games from behind the three-point line, the Sun Devils used the long shot to fuel their comeback and eventually take the lead. They shot 7-for-12 from behind the long line in the first half, and they finished the game 11-for-22 (50 percent), which was actually much higher than their overall shooting percentage of 43.5.

13

Sun Devils freshman guard Kodi Justice put up a career-high 13 points, making five of his nine attempts from the floor. He also posted new career highs of six assists, five rebounds and three three-pointers.

13:35

The Rebels scored first and didn’t trail for the initial 13 minutes and 35 seconds of the contest. At one point, they held a 21-6 lead, but at that point, the Sun Devils put together an impressive 20-2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Justice. From there, UNLV would tie it up on a few occasions but never retake the lead.

46-35

ASU dominated on the boards 46-32, led by Jacobsen’s 12 and guard Gerry Blakes’ nine. In fact, the Sun Devils had more defensive rebounds (35) then the Rebels had total boards.

400

Congratulations to ASU coach Herb Sendek, who picked up his 400th Division-I victory Wednesday.