All the problems that have plagued the ASU men's basketball team this season washed away Thursday night.
The Sun Devils turned an old weakness into a new strength, using the early minutes of the second half to pull away for a 76-59 victory over Oregon State at Wells Fargo Arena.
"We talked at the half about making sure we came out and did not have a lull," ASU men's basketball coach Rob Evans said. "We wanted to make sure we stayed aggressive, moved the basketball and moved our bodies. I thought they did a great job of that."
The two teams traded punches for much of the first half, but the Sun Devils closed the half on an 11-4 run sparked by freshman swingman Sylvester Seay.
Sylvester Seay contributed on both ends of the court with 10 points, a steal and three blocked shots in the half. In the final two possessions of the half he buried a 3-pointer, and then intercepted a pass on defense and threw a length-of-the-court pass to a wide-open Bryson Krueger for a dunk. ASU went into the break with a nine-point lead.
The Sun Devils' first half momentum carried over into the second.
ASU shooting guard Kevin Kruger hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Bryson Krueger hit a runner in the lane to cap off an 11-1 run that gave the Sun Devils their largest lead of the night at 18 points.
Four Sun Devils scored in double figures, led by freshman center Jeff Pendergraph's 18. He dominated the Beavers in the paint, scoring 16 of his points in the second half. Pendergraph also added a game-high 11 rebounds.
"I'm hard-pressed to find a freshman that's playing better than him right now," Evans said of Pendergraph. "He's just unbelievable. He was patient in the first half and then comes out in the second half and plays like a veteran."
ASU only committed eight turnovers in the game, a season low.
Kruger finished with 17 points and connected on 5-of-8 3-pointers despite not eating solid food in about a week because of an impacted wisdom tooth. He was supposed to have it removed earlier this week, but surgery was delayed.
"I felt a little sluggish in the beginning, but I think adrenaline just kicks in after that," he said.
ASU can finally say it's on a winning streak. It has won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 22.
"It has been a while since we've won two in a row," Evans said. "But we'll be improving all the way through the season because we have so many young kids in the ballclub."
Reach the reporter at derrik.miller@asu.edu.
