Men's Basketball | Low leads WSU past Arizona State, 56-55

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Derrick Low scored 18 points, all on 3-pointers, and No. 6 Washington State rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat No. 24 Arizona State 56-55 today.

The Cougars survived the upset bid when Arizona State's star freshman James Harden missed on a drive to the basket at the buzzer. Harden finished with 25 points, his 10th 20-point game.

Low bounced back nicely after going just 2-of-9 from the field in a loss at Arizona two nights earlier. He finished 6-of-11 Saturday, all from behind the arc.

Taylor Rochestie added 13 points for the Cougars (17-2, 5-2 Pac-10), who launched an 18-0 run late in the first half to take a 38-29 lead. They never trailed again, heading off a furious Arizona State comeback late in the second half.

Washington State's lead grew to 43-32 midway through the second half. And the Cougars seemed to be in command with a 56-48 lead with 2:50 to play.

But the Sun Devils (14-5, 4-3) went on a 7-0 run capped by Harden's driving layup with 1:09 left. Neither team scored again.

After Harden was called for a charge with 42 seconds left, Rochestie missed a shot and the Sun Devils gained possession on a jump ball.

With time running down, Harden drove into a crowd of defenders and missed from short range.

The Sun Devils have lost three straight after a 14-2 start. The schedule doesn't become any easier for Arizona State, which visits No. 8 UCLA on Thursday night.

Both teams played with an extra measure of desperation. The Sun Devils had dropped two straight, including a deflating 72-61 home loss to Washington on Thursday night. Washington State was coming off a 76-64 loss at Arizona two nights earlier.

Washington State commits 10.7 turnovers per game, fewest in the Pac-10, but the Cougars had six turnovers in the first 10 minutes -- and only three field goals.

Arizona State led 20-9 midway through the first half, but the Cougars used the 18-0 run to take a 38-29 lead. The biggest shot was a 30-footer by Rochestie with the shot clock winding down early in the second half. That put the Cougars ahead 30-29, their first lead since the game's opening minutes.