TEMPE, Arizona: Jordan Schakel scored 25 points, Nathan Mensah had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and 24th San Diego State dominated on the inside to beat 23rd Arizona State 80-68 on Thursday night.
The Sun Devils (3-2) recovered goaltender Alonzo Verge Jr. after missing two games COVID-19[feminine[feminine contact search but were without forward Marcus Bagley due to a lower left leg injury suffered Saturday against Cal.
San Diego State (5-0) already had a sizable advantage on the inside, and Bagley’s absence turned him into an even greater force.
The Aztecs beat Arizona State 36-9 in the paint and scored 17 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. San Diego State retired with an 18-2 run in the second half to stretch the nation’s longest road winning streak to 13 straight games.
The Sun Devils were pushed around the perimeter most of the night by the bigger Aztecs and, despite some nice runs, didn’t make enough outside shots. Arizona State shot 34 percent and missed 11 straight shots in a key second-half streak.
Verge led the Sun Devils with 25 points.
The Aztecs were without three players due to contact tracing, although only Keshad Johnson was expected to be on the rotation.
Bagley’s loss was bigger for the Sun Devils, leaving them without their best rebounder.
San Diego State took advantage, scoring 12 points on six offensive rebounds midway through the first half. The 6-10 Mensah made their way inside with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to give the Aztecs a 35-33 lead.
Arizona State missed 11 of its first 15 shots before finding a better offensive pace and cleaning the defensive window better to recover from an early 12-point deficit.
The Sun Devils struggled against defensive pressure from San Diego State early in the second period and began to return the ball, leading to a series of transition baskets in a 13-0 Aztecs run.
Arizona State went on an eight-minute goalless stretch on the field as San Diego State extended the lead to 59-45.
BIG PICTURE
San Diego State won its 17th straight non-conference game behind a big night from Schakel and a dominant performance indoors.
Arizona State is already lacking in size on the inside and missing Bagley really hurt, especially when the shots didn’t fall in the second half.
NEXT
The State of San Diego welcomes BYU on December 18.
Arizona State plays Sunday at the Grand Canyon in Phoenix.
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