Oregon State
Arizona State
Beavers Turned Away In Tempe, 83-79
January 24, 2004 | Men's Basketball
By MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Ike Diogu had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Stevie Moore and Jamal Hill made crucial free throws near the end to lift Arizona State to an 83-79 win over Oregon State on Saturday night.
Hill had 17 points in the victory, only the Sun Devils' second in eight games. Keith Wooden and Jason Braxton had 12 apiece for Arizona State (8-8, 2-5 Pac-10), which won its sixth straight against the Beavers in Tempe.
David Lucas had a career-high 27 points for Oregon State (8-9, 2-5). Chris Stephens scored 11 and J.S. Nash 10.
The Beavers made up a nine-point deficit in the second half to lead 74-70 with 4:14 left.
Diogu, a preaseason All-American, scored in double figures for the national-high 48th consecutive time, going 16-of-22 from the free-throw line to come within one of the school's record for attempts.
Moore opened an 81-77 lead with his two free thows with 31.6 seconds left. After Nash drove for a dunk, Hill made two with 15.1 seconds to go.
Nash's left-handed bank shot gave the Beavers a 76-73 lead with 2:49 left, but the game turned on a foul by Kyle Jeffers 24 seconds later, followed by a technical on David Lucas.
Diogu made only two of the four free throws, but made both when he was fouled by Jeffers with 1:38 to go, and the Sun Devils regained the lead at 77-76.
The Sun Devils were leading 62-55 when Wooden missed the front end of a one-and-one with 9:15 to go.
Oregon State responded with a 13-2 run to take a 68-64 lead with 6:32 to play. Lucas and Jeffers had a basket and two free throws each during the spurt, and Stephens tied the game for the first time at
Lucas had a personal 6-0 run in the first 1:44 of the second half, and Oregon State closed within 43-40.
The Sun Devils surged again, taking a 56-47 lead with 14:08 left on Allen Morill's dunk after Jeffers fell and lost a defensive rebound.
The Sun Devils had two early 10-point leads, both after layups by Braxton. But the Beavers outscored Arizona State 17-11 in a 6:14 span capped by Nash's 3-pointer that lifted the Beavers within 27-23 with 8:00 remaining in the first half.
