Looking to bounce back after a hard-fought loss against the UCF Knights on Tuesday, ASU looked to defeat their in-state rival, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation the UA Wildcats.
The Wildcats came into the game with a perfect record of 21-0. Led by the trio of senior guard Jaden Bradley, freshmen phenoms Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, the Wildcats were out to set a program record for longest winning streak. Arizona escaped Provo in their last outing, beating No.13 BYU 86-83.
Arizona State’s Masamba Diop and Santiago Trouet got the party started for the Sun Devils each scoring a basket.
The teams ended up knotted at 10, five minutes into the game.
The Devils shot an impressive 50% in the first 10 minutes of the half, while the Wildcats opened the game 4-16.
Despite the lackluster shooting to start the half, the Wildcats capitalized on their aggressive inside attack, getting to the free throw line five times and making all five.
Down 18-17 with under 10 minutes to go in the half, UA went 8-0 to take a 25-18 lead with seven to go in the first half.
ASU’s Moe Odum would snap that run with a long three-point shot.
The teams tied at 30 apiece before the Wildcat’s Peat put back a UA missed shot.
On the verge going into the half down three, ASU’s Noah Meeusen nailed a three-point shot to take the Sun Devils into a 38-38 game at halftime.
Motiejus Krivas led the Wildcats with 11 points.
For the Devils, Odum led the way with 12 first half points.
Starting the second half, Peat got the Wildcats going with a made free throw following that up with his first three of the afternoon.
Krivas picked up where he left off by grabbing a Bradley miss and putting it back in to give UA a six-point lead to start the second.
Trouet got ASU on the board hitting a hook shot over Peat. After a Peat layup, Odum responded with his third three of the game to cut the lead to three with 16 left in the game.
Over the next three minutes, Arizona jumped off to an 8-2 run to go up 56-47.
Bryce Ford nailed a much needed three to cut the lead back down to six for ASU with 12 minutes remaining.
After a made three from Anthony “Pig” Johnson cut the lead to three, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to jump out to a 10-point lead.
At that point, ASU played the rest of the game clawing out of a double-digit hole.
“In the first half, we matched up with their physicality. When the second half comes, we lose our physicality, we lose our energy,” ASU guard Odum said when asked about the difference in the ASU play in the second half.
Peat hit his second three of the game putting the Wildcats up 11.
After the make, Peat was assigned a technical foul.
Down 11 with five minutes to go, Johnson cut the lead nine with a strong layup over the Wildcat defense.
Up nine with four minutes to go, Arizona pushed the lead to 13 with layups from Tobe Awaka and Ivan Kharchenkov.
The double-digit deficit was too much for the Sun Devils to overcome.
Arizona moves to a record setting 22-0, led by Peat’s 21 points, 15 of which came during the second half.
“We came as close to our ceiling today,” Sun Devil head coach Bobby Hurley said regarding the close play of his team.
The ASU Sun Devils fall to an 11-11 on the season after the 87-74 defeat to their rival U of A Wildcats.
