Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona St. 78, Colorado 72
When: 4:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 17, 2015
Where: Wells-Fargo Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Officials: # Kevin Brill, # Mike Eggers, # Chris Rastatter
Attendance: 7651

Arizona State 78, Colorado 72:
Shaquielle McKissic scored 16 points and the host Sun Devils shot 71.4 percent from the field in the second half to turn back the injury-depleted Buffaloes and end a four-game losing streak.

Freshman Tra Holder recorded 10 points, six assists and six rebounds while Bo Barnes scored 13 and Gerry Blakes 12 as Arizona State (9-9, 1-4 Pac-12) halted its worst conference start since the 2006-07 team began 0-14. Eric Jacobsen added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the Sun Devils.

Sophomore Jaron Hopkins registered a career-high 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Askia Booker scored 21 for Colorado (9-8, 2-3), which was without two starters - Josh Scott (back) and Xavier Johnson (ankle) - for the second straight game. Wesley Gordon and Tre'Shaun Fletcher added 10 points apiece as the Buffaloes have lost three straight contests for the first time since joining the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 season.

Booker scored 14 points in the first half and his nine straight Colorado points put the Buffaloes on top 28-24 before McKissic drilled a 3-pointer and beat the buzzer with a dunk to vault Arizona State into a 29-28 lead at the break. Hopkins, a native of nearby Mesa, Ariz., recorded nine points in the first half before Colorado unveiled a different pair of scorers after intermission as Gordon and Fletcher scored seven points apiece to give the Buffaloes a 42-40 lead.

McKissic soared over Tory Miller to complete a monstrous dunk to make it 45-45 - the ninth of 11 ties - and Jacobsen's dunk with 7:11 left provided the 19th and final lead change as the Sun Devils moved ahead 51-50. Barnes and Jonathan Gilling each contributed a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch and McKissic's driving layup with 2:22 remaining put Arizona State in front 67-60, and the Sun Devils put the game out of reach by converting 11-of-14 free throws in the final 1:27.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Scott (13.8 points per game), who has missed four of the last five contests, and Johnson (12.8) are second and third on the team in scoring to Booker (16.7), who recorded a career-high 30 in Colorado's 68-54 loss at Arizona on Thursday. ... Arizona State scored 60 points for the first time in six games. ... The Sun Devils recorded 20 assists on 26 field goals and were 16-of-24 from the free-throw line while Colorado was 10-for-17.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Arizona St.
Askia Booker 21 Scoring Shaquielle McKissic 16
Jaron Hopkins 5 Assists Jonathan Gilling 6
Wesley Gordon 8 Rebounds Eric Jacobsen 7
Jaron Hopkins 3 Free Throws Made Tra Holder 8
Jaron Hopkins 4 Steals Shaquielle McKissic 2
Eli Stalzer 1 Blocks Eric Jacobsen 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Colorado 72 46.4 10-21 10-17 16 32 2 6 13
Arizona St. 78 55.3 10-20 16-24 20 27 3 6 14