Friday, December 24, 2010

North Carolina A&T 50, Arizona State 56

'Tis the season for college basketball letdowns. With the holidays inching closer, teams across the land are about to break for a few days, turning that final get-away contest into an adventure. Arizona State nearly fell victim Thursday afternoon, needing to rally from a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat spunky North Carolina A&T 56-50 at Wells Fargo Arena.

ASU coach Herb Sendek credited the 5-6 Aggies, picked to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll, but he also questioned himself, scheduling a noon tip so the players could get started on a three-day break.

"They have a game, they're all hustling to the airport," Sendek said. "With a disproportionate number of newcomers, these guys haven't been home (in a while), so I know it's just human nature (to look) forward to hustling out of here."

Photos from the game

Aggies fall short in bid for upset

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Rihards Kuksiks scored 15 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 2:52 left, and Arizona State rallied to beat N.C. A&T 56-50 on Thursday. Kuksiks' 3 gave the Sun Devils (7-4) a 53-50 advantage, and they held on to come back from a 12-point deficit.

Nic Simpson, who missed three 3s in the final 1:23, scored 17 points and had five assists to lead the Aggies (5-6). A&T led 29-23 at halftime and extended its advantage to 38-26 in the first four minutes of the second half. But Aggies forward Thomas Coleman picked up his third and fourth fouls in a 26-second span and had to go to the bench with 14:55 remaining.

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