TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Gerry Blakes scored 22 points and Andre Spight added 15, including three second-half 3-pointers, leading Arizona State to an 83-74 win over Belmont for coach Bobby Hurley's first win at the Pac-12 school.
Savon Goodman had 13 points and 12 rebounds to go with some effective interior defense as the Sun Devils (1-1) lost a 10-point first-half lead but rallied and held on after trailing early in the second half.
Kodi Justice knocked down a pair of key 3-pointers at the 6:37 and 4:02 marks of the second half, the second one giving ASU a 69-61 lead it would not relinquish.
Belmont (1-1), an NCAA tournament team in four of the past five seasons, got 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists from guard Austin Luke, who was held to four points in the second half. Craig Bradshaw added 12 points.
Belmont cut the ASU lead to 69-68 on a pair of Evan Bradds free throws, but the Sun Devils scored the next eight points including a basket by Blakes with 1:22 left for a 75-68 lead.
Blakes added eight rebounds.
The Bruins turned a 10-point deficit with three minutes left in the first half into a 44-40 lead a few minutes into the second half, but couldn't keep the momentum.
Neither team started the game shooting the ball well. The largest lead for either team over the first 10 minutes was four points, with Arizona State leading 14-10 and Belmont 10-6.
Luke had the hot hand early with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers before he was given a rest. A banked-in three from Taylor Barnette gave the Bruins a 19-16 lead with 10:49 left in the first half.
Belmont went more than three minutes of the latter part of the first half without a point, and a pair of free throws by Blakes gave the Sun Devils their largest lead of the half, 36-26, with three minutes left.
But Arizona State didn't score another point before halftime, and a missed steal attempt on one end by Spight freed Luke to dribble inside the paint at the other end, where he floated in a short jumper to cut the lead to 36-30.
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TIP-INS
Belmont: The Bruins fired up 31 3-pointers and made only eight. . Three days after scoring a career high-tying 24 points, forward Evan Bradds managed 11 on Monday. . Bradshaw took a nasty tumble over the courtside scorer's table chasing a loose ball with 54.9 seconds to play and needed trainers' attention, but was helped up and walked back to the bench.
Arizona State: Hurley rang a large brass victory bell at conclusion of the game, a victory tradition. ... The Sun Devils won the rebounding battle 45-31.... This was the second time the two teams have met, with ASU winning 92-44 in Tempe in 2000.
UP NEXT
Belmont's home opener is Wednesday against Western Kentucky.
Arizona State hosts Kennesaw State on Wednesday.
