(Las Vegas, NV) Sun Devil Men’s Basketball is heading to the semifinals of the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament after a 77-72 victory over the No. 3 seeded USC Trojans. Arizona State will play the Arizona Wildcats Friday night on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. PST.
Arizona State (22-11, 11-9) picked up its fifth quadrant one win of the season and 12th win away from home. Entering the contest in prime position for an NCAA tournament berth, ASU now has another powerful win in a non-favorable environment to present to the Division I committee.
Desmond Cambridge Jr. scored 27 points – a Sun Devil high – in the winning effort to lead all scorers. Cambridge Jr. was joined in double figures by Devan Cambridge (11) and DJ Horne(10). Along with his fiery 27 points, Cambridge Jr. snatched seven rebounds – including four offensive – and secured two steals.
Warren Washington grabbed eight rebounds and Arizona State bullied its way to 13 offensive rebounds as a team. In its three games against USC (22-10, 14-6), ASU has recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in all three.
The Sun Devils played on their best halves of basketball when it mattered most. ASU led 39-25 at the break and shut down the USC offense, allowing just seven made baskets in the opening stanza.
Arizona State withstood a late USC surge. After leading by 14 at half, ASU’s stamina never waived. Playing its second game in two days, the dedication of Men’s Basketball Associate Trainer John Anderson and Sports Performance Assistant Coach Daniel Marshall pushed ASU over the edge later.
KEY MOMENTS
Arizona State opened the game to the tune of an 8-0 lead while holding USC to zero field goals in the first 2:43.
The screws were tight late, with ASU forcing five Trojan turnovers over 2:26 from 6:27-4:01. In that same stretch, ASU rattled off eight straight points making a game-high 36-21.
USC was one of its last 11 from the floor entering the half.
With the contest stagnating and neither side clawing closer, Arizona State ripped off a 6-0 run in less than a minute with triples by Cambridge Jr. and Alonzo Gaffney.
Arizona State hit eight free throws in the final minute, sealing the victory in Las Vegas.
FIRST HALF
After winning the opening tip, Desmond Cambridge Jr. opened the contest by drilling a triple on a find from Frankie Collins.
Warren Washington’s shot contest forced a missed layup and Cambridge Jr. popped a midrange jumper, 5-0 ASU at 19:22. Collins proceeded to force a steal and Horne banged his first trey of the game for an 8-0 Arizona State :63 seconds into the contest. The Trojans got on the board at 17:17 with a shot from the left corner.
Arizona State immediately countered with two free throws by Washington. Then, leading 15-9, Alonzo Gaffney snatched a steal and thumped down a dunk at 11:57, making it 17-9.
After trading baskets, a four-point play brought USC to within four, 19-15 with 10:09 remaining in the first half. Jamiya Neal immediately nailed a trey from the right wing, re-extending the lead to seven. Both squads traded blows into the under-eight media break with ASU leading 25-20.
Out of the timeout, Cambridge Jr. cashed a trey and made it a 28-20 lead with 7:10 left. With a 29-21 lead, Horne’s stifling defense at the top of the key forced the Trojan’s ball movement to stall and they committed a three-second violation. A steal immediately off the USC rebound earned Horne two foul shots, extending the advantage to a game high 10, 31-21 at 4:20.
The Sun Devil defense continued to tighten the screws. USC traveled due to two quick switches by ASU defense. Arizona State extended its advantage to 12 as Devan Cambridgepoked in a fadeaway jumper at 3:12.
Cambridge Jr. splashed his third trey of the game at 2:21, an 8-0 Sun Devil run over 2:51, to make it 36-21. USC snapped the spell with a midranger shot of its own.
DJ Horne capped a spectacular Sun Devil half with a three pointer at :07, extending the lead to 39-25 into the locker room.
SECOND HALF
Desmond Cambridge Jr. started the second half scoring for the Sun Devils, banging a three pointer after a USC basket, 42-27 Sun Devils at 18:44. Cambridge Jr. called glass and knocked in another jumper, bringing him to 16 points, at 18:15.
Cambridge snapped a 5-0 Trojan run with his second three at 16:23, 47-32 Arizona State.
After six straight Trojan points, including two at the foul line. Neal snapped the cold-spell by banging a trey from the right wing at 13:47, extending the lead back to 12, 50-38.
The Trojans punched back, but the Sun Devils were unphased. Cambridge Jr. saved a defensive rebound, snatched an offensive one on the other end and allowed Gaffney to dish an assist to Duke Brennan at 10:47, making it 54-43 Sun Devils.
Cambridge Jr. immediately snatched a steal on the defensive end – the 10th Trojan giveaway – bringing the contest into the media timeout at 10:25. Following a flagrant one against Arizona State, the ball did not lie. The Trojans only made one of two shots from the line and Collinsswiped the ball, giving way to a Cambridge triple. After a USC basket, it was 60-50 Sun Devils at 8:28.
Desmond Cambridge Jr. buried a triple – bringing him to 24 points – on an assist by Horne. The Trojans tried to push it but missed the shot and Gaffney sank a three pointer at 6:41 from Washington. The score was a game-high 66-50. USC went on an 8-1 edge, making it 67-58 into the media timeout at 4:00.
Made baskets proved hard to come by in the later stages. The Sun Devils clutched up from the charity stripe, making eight foul shots in the final minute of regulation. The Sun Devils secured a 77-72 victory and will advance to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals Friday night.
UP NEXT
The rubber match for the state of Arizona will determine a spot in the Pac-12 Championship, as Arizona State faces Arizona at 9:30 p.m. MST/11:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcasted, for a second consecutive day, on ESPN. Dave Pasch and Bill Walton will handle the broadcast duties.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Josh Schwam
Click on Logo
