TEMPE, Ariz. -- It took overtime for Arizona State to escape with a win Thursday against Oregon State, and the Sun Devils didn't make things any easier Saturday against Oregon.
After blowing a 21-point second-half lead, ASU narrowly avoided a demoralizing loss and hung on to beat the Ducks 74-72 on Jordan Bachynski's block at the buzzer.
"What a weekend," ASU coach Herb Sendek said, clearly taxed by another stressful finish. "Are you kidding me?"
Sendek's disbelief derived more in Oregon guard Joseph Young's otherworldly second half than ASU's wild weekend sweep of the Oregon schools.
After going scoreless on five field goal attempts in Oregon's wretched first half -- the Ducks shot just 25 percent from the field and 8 percent (1 of 13) from 3-point range -- Young went off for 29 points in what might have been the best second-half performance of any college basketball player this season.
"That has to go down as one of the best second-half performances I've seen as a coach," Sendek said. "What a spectacular performance."
It was Young's dazzling display that helped Oregon (15-8, 3-8 Pac-12) erase the 21-point lead ASU took at the 15:37 mark. In a matter of five minutes, the Ducks had used a 22-5 run to cut the Sun Devils' lead to four points, 53-49.
Oregon continued charging as the teams' shooting efforts flipped from the first half and the Ducks took a 61-59 lead with just over five minutes left. The teams mostly traded baskets from there until ASU's free throw efforts gave it the tiniest cushion in the game's final minutes.
ASU (18-6, 7-4) led 74-72 with four seconds left when Bachynski, the Pac-12's career blocks leader as of Thursday, swatted Young's final attempt and sealed the ASU win -- just as he had against Marquette earlier this season.
"I knew we had to have that one," Bachynski said.
Bachynski scored a career-high 26 points, including 12 from the free throw line. He also added nine blocks to his conference record.
"You can't say enough about the weekend Jordan Bachynski had," Sendek said. "Once again, he was spectacular."
ASU's 20-point halftime lead looked like it would be enough for the Sun Devils to easily seal the weekend sweep. It was the Ducks' largest halftime deficit of the season after their season-low for first-half scoring (23 points).
But the Sun Devils' lead evaporated quickly and then disappeared entirely. Sendek insisted it was "utter nonsense" to assume his team had taken its foot off the gas with such a large lead and credited Oregon for stifling ASU with its full-court press.
"The guys knew the game wasn't over," Sendek said. "(Oregon) played really well; it's a game of runs and they had a great player who absolutely was in the zone. And we didn't play as well in the second half."
Added Bachynski: "I think their press bothered us a little more than we'd like to admit."
Sendek recalled ASU's Jan. 29 win over Cal, in which it also coughed up a sizable lead, to praise his team's character and resilience. Bachynski also praised his teammates for not getting rattled by its shrinking lead.
"The minute you lose your composure is when you lose," Bachynski said. "We were able to keep ours, and that's huge for our guys because it shows maturity and mental toughness."
As it pertains to the NCAA Tournament, Saturday's win could prove important. Oregon, a fellow bubble team, may not have an impressive conference record, but its 40 RPI makes the ASU victory its second best of the season.
The win also could provide momentum and confidence as ASU gears up to host No. 2 Arizona next week. If nothing else, it was a gutsy win that should toughen the Sun Devils as they fight for a place in the postseason.
"One thing for certain in this game is nothing is predictable in this game," Sendek said. "When you're in the fire like today, if you're paying attention, there's always something you can learn."
ASU honored alumnus Alton Lister by hanging his No. 53 jersey in the rafters during halftime, alongside Eddie House, Lafayette "Fat" Lever, Byron Scott, Lionel Hollins and Joe Caldwell. Lever and Caldwell were in attendance Saturday. Lister, who played in Tempe from 1978-81 before he was picked in the first round (21st overall) of the 1981 NBA Draft.
21 -- points by which ASU led with just less than 16 minutes to play before Oregon erased the lead entirely and took a two-point lead with just more than five minutes left.
* The wild finish to Saturday's game overshadowed ASU center Jordan Bachynski's new career high of 26 points, which came a few days after he set the Pac-12 career blocks record. Odds are good he'll garner Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.
* Oregon guard Joseph Young nearly lifted the Ducks to a win on his own, with perhaps one of the best halves in all of college basketball this season. After going scoreless on five shot attempts in the first half, Young scored 29 points after halftime.
* ASU guard Jahii Carson set a new career high with 12 rebounds, eclipsing his previous best of 10 set last March in a first-round NIT win over Detroit Mercy.
Letting Saturday's game slip away could have proven costly to ASU's NCAA Tournament chances. Instead, the Sun Devils got a crucial home sweep of the Oregon schools, particularly important with No. 2 Arizona coming to Tempe on Friday.
