By Beth Renkoski

11/05/09

Sun Devils Too Hot for Lions

Tempe, Ariz. -  The Vanguard Lions played their third preseason exhibition against a Pac-10 team in the past five days, traveling this evening to Tempe, Arizona to face the Arizona Sun Devils who are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll.  The Sun Devils established a 25-point first-half lead and led by as many as 36 points en route to a 97-64 exhibition victory over the NAIA No. 2-ranked Lions.

Vanguard shot a cool 31% from the field and the three-point line in the first half, falling quickly behind the Sun Devils who posted a 28-5 run in less than a seven-minute period.  Shooting 50% from the field and making 13-of-20 free throws, the Sun Devils charged to a 53-28 cushion by the halftime break.

The Lions came back stronger in the second half, making 4 out of seven three-pointers and nearly matching the Sun Devils in the final 20 minutes of play.  ASU outscored the Lions 44-36, but added to the first-half deficit, the Sun Devils remained in charge the rest of the way.

Using their size advantage, the Sun Devils dominated the boards with a 65-28 rebounding advantage in the game but turned the ball over 18 times and made only 24-of-37 free throw attempts.

The Lions shot a meager 38.7% from the field and were charged with 17 turnovers and 13 more fouls than the Sun Devils.  Junior Paige Halberg lead the Lions in scoring for the third night in a row, topping the Lions with 17 points and four assists.  Seniors Diana Neves (15 pts. 4rebs), Bridgette Reyes (12 pts, 4 assists), and Rachel Copeland (11 pts, 5 rebs) also scored in double figures for the Lions, who were out-scored 48-18 in the paint and 61-7 from the bench.

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