Ty Abbott scored a season-high 15 points and Jamelle McMillan also had 15 as Arizona State held off South Carolina-Upstate 61-52 on Wednesday.
The Sun Devils (10-3) had two long periods of defensive dominance, going on a 23-3 scoring run in the first half and a 19-3 run in the second half, but could not pull away while winning their fourth straight.
Sharod Minus hit a 3-pointer for the Spartans (1-10) with 2:12 remaining to cut Arizona State's lead to 56-52 before McMillan answered with a 3-pointer with 1:30 left for a 59-52 edge.
McMillan made two free throws with 25.4 seconds remaining to close the scoring.
Arizona State center Taylor Rohde added a career-high 12 points while playing 25 minutes because starting center Eric Boateng got into early foul trouble.
Carter Cook had 13 points to lead South Carolina-Upstate.
