COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)– Alex Caruso scored a season-high 23 points as Texas A&M overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat Arizona State 72-71 on Saturday in Reed Arena.
A&M senior forward Kourtney Roberson made the second of two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining to lift the Aggies (6-1) to the one-point lead, and Arizona State’s Tra Holder missed a hurried 3-pointer as time expired.
Jordan Green and Jalen Jones each added 13 points for the Aggies, while Holder led the Sun Devils (5-3) with 14 points, and Jonathan Gilling and Bo Barnes scored 12 each.
The game was tied at 69 when Caruso stole the ball with 1:19 remaining, but he shoved the ball against the side of the rim on an attempted dunk on the ensuing fast break. Undaunted, the junior guard then stole the ball again near midcourt on the Sun Devils’ resulting possession, and this time tallied a layup to lift A&M to a 71-69 lead.
TEAM RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
● Texas A&M erased a 13-point deficit in the second half to defeat Arizona State on Saturday at Reed Arena and improve to 6-1 on the season … Arizona State, meanwhile, dropped to 5-3 on the year.
● The victory was the Aggies’ fifth consecutive and improved their record at Reed Arena to a perfect 4-0 this season.
TEAM NOTES
● The Sun Devil’s lead swelled to as many as 13 at the 15:28 mark of the second half, before the Aggies went on a 27-12 run to take a two-point lead (68-66) on a Alex Caruso 3-pointer with 3:32 to play.
● With ASU leading by 10 (60-50) and 11:34 to play, Caruso put the Aggies on his back by scoring 13 of the Aggies’ final 22 points during the late-game rally.
● The Aggies notched a season-high 11 steals in the contest and forced 17 ASU turnovers … Texas A&M’s strong team defense has forced at least 16 turnovers in each game this season.
● The first half featured several runs by both teams … an 11-0 run by A&M gave the Aggies a 13-8 lead with 14:49 to play in the first period, but was proceeded by a 7-0 spurt by the Sun Devils that left them in from 15-13 with 13:37 on the clock.
● Arizona State enjoyed a 45-34 advantage at halftime.
● Texas A&M used the starting line-up combination of Alex Caruso, Jordan Green, Danuel House, Jalen Jones and Kourtney Roberson for the second time this season (2-0).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
● Junior guard Alex Caruso led all scorers with a season-high 23 points, including 13 after halftime … the College Station native went 9-of-11 from the floor, including two 3-point baskets in three attempts.
● Caruso’s all-around impressive game also saw him lead all players in rebounds (6), assists (6) and steals (6).
● Junior Jalen Jones made 5-of-13 shot attempts to contribute 13 points, his sixth double-digit point showing in seven games this season … the Dallas product leads the Aggies in scoring at 12.4 points per game.
● Senior Jordan Green hit double-digit points for the fourth time on the year, contributing 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
● A&M head coach Billy Kennedy is now 56-50 in his fourth season at Texas A&M and 267-229 in 17 years as a head coach.
UP NEXT
● After a two-year hiatus, the Battle of the Brazos returns to the hardwood on Tuesday night as the Aggies travel to Waco, Texas, to battle Baylor in an 8 p.m. contest … the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics