Dec. 4, 2004

Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State Sun Devils jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and never looked back as they knocked off the Gonzaga University Bulldogs (4-2) in the championship game of the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic. ASU won the game 77-58 to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Kristen Kovesdy and Kylan Loney combined to score 24 first half points for ASU as the Sun Devils jumped out to a 47-21 halftime lead. Kovesdy was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points while Loney was 4-for-5 with 11 first half points. Loney sparked the Sun Devils to two big first half spurts after entering the game for starting guard Reagan Pariseau, a former player at Spokane's Central Valley High School.

The Bulldogs struggled to get an offense going in the first 20 minutes committing 16 turnovers which ASU converted into 23 points. Gonzaga did a better job of ball control in the second half committing only 8 second half turnovers.

Gonzaga defense also stepped up in the second half as they limited ASU to 36 percent shooting. Loney and Kovesdy were the top Sun Devils scores, Loney scoring 15 while Kovesdy led all players with 21 points.

The Bulldogs did improve on the offensive end in the second half shooting 44 percent with Stephanie Hawk scoring 14 second half points including 10 during a Bulldogs 12-2 run that closed the ASU lead to 16. Gonzaga could never get any closer than that. Hawk's final bucket of the game came off an assist from Shannon Mathews to make Mathews the new GU career leader with 440 assists.

Gonzaga returns to action on Friday night at the University of Montana. Shannon Mathews and Ashley Anderson earned All-Tournament honors for Gonzaga.