Pendergraph punishes UI

TEMPE, Ariz. – Jeff Pendergraph scored a career-high 27 points and James Harden added 13 second-half points to lead Arizona State past Idaho 76-65 Saturday.

Harden finished with 17 points, Ty Abbott added 16 and Jerren Shipp had 10 for the Sun Devils (9-2), who have won five straight games for the first time since 2004.

Pendergraph, a junior forward who added 10 rebounds for his 16th career double-double, was 7 for 9 from the floor and 13 for 14 from the free-throw line.

Mike Hall had 18 points to lead Idaho (3-8), which kept the game close with a season-best 13 3-pointers.

The Vandals were 13 for 23 from beyond the arc but just 8 for 19 on other field-goal attempts.

After Darin Nagle’s off-balance 3-pointer pulled Idaho within 39-38 – the closest the Vandals had been since the game’s opening 4 minutes – Shipp sank a 3-pointer from the corner to start an 8-0 run that put the Sun Devils ahead 47-38 with 15:33 to go.

Idaho battled back to within 54-50 when Jordan Brooks completed a three-point play with 11:26 to go.

Harden scored eight straight points and Pendergraph added a short jumper to extend Arizona State’s lead back to 66-57.

Pendergraph had eight points in the game’s first 6 minutes as the Sun Devils opened an early 13-5 lead with 12:38 left in the first half.

Then the 3-pointers started falling for the Vandals.

Hall and Terrence Simmons had three 3-pointers and Clyde Johnson sank another with 2.2 seconds left in the first half to cut a one-time 11-point Arizona State lead to 34-32.

Vandals coach George Pfeifer considered it a positive step as the team wrapped up its non-conference schedule against an opponent which is 7-0 at home this season, including a victory over No. 17 Xavier.

“We are not happy with our record, but our team is really starting to fight and compete,” Pfeifer said. “If we would have been in this type of game in this type of environment a month ago, we would have been blown away.”

The Vandals had trouble contesting with Pendergraph.

“We got soft on the perimeter, which really put the pressure on the post players because they could move the basketball where they wanted it,” Pfeifer said. “We got some fouls called underneath and (Pendergraph) made almost as many free throws as we attempted.”

Pfeifer’s Vandals battled back many times.

Hall hit his fourth 3-pointer with 2:47 remaining to bring Idaho to within 67-63, but Arizona State answered with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.

Mike Kale brought Idaho within five with a layin with 2 minutes remaining, but Arizona State hit all six of its free throws the rest of the way for the 11-point victory.

“We gave up some transition baskets which we knew were going to be really key tonight,” Pfeifer said.

After scoring just 17 points through the first eight games, Hall has scored 31 points in the last two contests.

Simmons scored nine points in his first start of the season and was 3 for 3 on 3-pointers in the first half. He also led the team with five rebounds.

Kale and Brooks also added nine points each for the Vandals.

Idaho begins Western Athletic Conference play at home vs. New Mexico State on Jan. 2. Three days later, Boise State comes to the Vandals’ Cowan Spectrum.

Arizona St. 76, Idaho 65

Idaho (3-8)—Crowell 2-5 2-2 8, Nagle 2-8 0-2 6, Kale 4-7 1-2 9, Simmons 3-4 0-0 9, Morris 1-3 0-0 3, Johnson 1-2 0-1 3, Hall 5-9 4-4 18, Br.Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Brooks 3-3 3-3 9, Augusto 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-42 10-14 65.

Arizona State (9-2)—Pendergraph 7-9 13-14 27, Abbott 6-10 0-0 16, Glasser 0-4 1-2 1, Harden 7-12 2-5 17, Shipp 2-8 4-4 10, Atuahene 0-0 0-0 0, Boateng 0-1 0-0 0, McMillan 0-1 0-0 0, Polk 1-2 2-2 5. Totals 23-47 22-27 76.

Halftime—Arizona State 34, Idaho 32. 3-point goals—Idaho 13-23 (Hall 4-8, Simmons 3-4, Crowell 2-3, Nagle 2-3, Johnson 1-1, Morris 1-3, Br.Brown 0-1), Arizona State 8-21 (Abbott 4-7, Shipp 2-6, Polk 1-2, Harden 1-3, McMillan 0-1, Glasser 0-2). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Idaho 20 (Simmons 5), Arizona State 30 (Pendergraph 10). Assists—Idaho 15 (Nagle 3), Arizona State 17 (Glasser 9). Total fouls—Idaho 24, Arizona State 13. Technical—Nagle. A—6,383.