(Tempe, AZ) Sun Devil Men’s Basketball took down No. 21 Washington State on Saturday night at Desert Financial Arena.
Arizona State (14-14, 8-9) pulled off an impressive 73-61 victory over the Top-25 Cougars (21-7, 12-5) who entered the game alone at the top of the Pac-12 standings. Head Coach Bobby Hurley‘s squad ended Washington State’s eight-game win streak by putting forth a balanced and complete effort. ASU was in total control and led for nearly 36 minutes of the game behind the strength of a consistent defensive effort.
Four Sun Devils players reached double figures, led by Jose Perez who finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists. Sun Devil single-season steals leader Frankie Collins was all over the court defensively and added 14 points and six rebounds. Alonzo Gaffney put up 11 points as well as six rebounds and two blocks, posting a +20 on the night. Adam Miller made critical shots down the stretch, with eight of his 12 points coming in the second half.
This is Arizona State’s sixth win in the last eight meetings with Washington State. It also represents the Cougars first loss in regulation since Jan. 6 against Oregon (12-game stretch) and only their third double-digit loss of 2023-24. Coach Hurley picked up his 12th win over a Top-25 opponent, giving him the second-most in program history, trailing only Ned Wulk (17 Top-25 wins).
FIRST HALF
Adam Miller gives the Sun Devils their first points with a jumper, leaving the Sun Devils trailing 4-2 to the Cougars. Frankie Collins adds another steal to his record setting season and takes it all the way to the rack to give ASU their first lead of the game, 6-4, with 16:50 remaining in the half. ASU extends their lead to 8-4 with 16:02 remaining, forcing Washington State to take their first timeout of the half.
Alonzo Gaffney finds Jamiya Neal on a wide open backdoor cut for an easy layup to add to their lead coming out of the timeout, 10-4 with 14:15 remaining in the half. ASU stays comfortable with a 13-6 lead over Washington State heading into the second media timeout, 12:00 remaining in the half.
Bryant Selebangue goes back up after securing an offensive rebound and extends the Sun Devils lead to 15-6. After the Cougars went on a 12-4 run, the Sun Devils hold onto a 19-18 lead with 7:44 remaining in the half.
Shawn Phillips gets physical in the paint after securing an offensive rebound and slams it home over two defenders to extend the Sun Devils lead to 21-18 coming out of the break. Jamiya Neal gets shifty against a mismatch and blows by his defender for a contested layup to add to the Sun Devils 25-20 lead. Adam Miller uses the screen to adjust into an open jumper, leaving the Sun Devils leading 29-24 with 3:30 remaining. ASU holds onto a 31-25 lead over Washington State with 2:41 remaining in the half.
Jamiya Neal gets shifty again and manages to get to the rack while being fouled, adding his and-1 to the Sun Devils 34-25 lead coming out of the break. ASU closes out an impressive first half with a 36-29 lead over Washington State.
SECOND HALF
The Cougars opened up the second half with a 6-0 run, closing the Sun Devils lead to 36-35 with 17:10 remaining in regulation. The Sun Devils trail 37-36 heading into the first media timeout with 15:49 left in regulation.
After the Cougars completed a 9-0 run, a fading jumper performed by Alonzo Gaffney gives the Sun Devils their first points of the second half, tying it at 38-38. Alonzo Gaffney finds a wide open Frankie Collins in the corner to extend the Sun Devils lead to 43-38 with 14:12 remaining in regulation.
Bryant Selebangue secures another offensive rebound leading to an and-1 putback over a defender, giving the Sun Devils a 46-40 lead over the Cougars with 13:37 remaining. ASU holds onto a 48-40 lead heading into the second media timeout of the second half with 11:55 remaining in regulation.
Alonzo Gaffney cashes a three from the top of the arc to give ASU a 51-44 lead coming out of the break. With Jose Perez heading to the line in back-to-back possessions, the Sun Devils hold a 55-51 lead with Jose Perez set to shoot two free throws after the media timeout, 7:57 remaining in regulation.
A contested three cashed in by Adam MIller adds onto the Sun Devils 60-55 lead with 5:20 remaining in the half. Alonzo Gaffney battles in the paint for his own offensive rebound and completes an and-1 contested layup, extending the Sun Devils a 62-55 lead. A block by Alonzo Gaffney turns into a contested reverse layup completed by Adam Miller to give ASU a 64-55 lead heading into the final media timeout with 3:38 remaining in regulation.
Jose Perez performs a spin move in the paint leading to a layup in the paint, extending the Sun Devils lead to 66-55. Jose Perez finds a wide open Alonzo Gaffney under the basket to slam it home, giving the Sun Devils a 71-59 lead with 1:10 remaining in regulation. The Sun Devils run out the remainder of the clock to gain a 73-61 win over the Cougars for their one and only matchup this season.
UP NEXT
Sun Devil Men’s Basketball will host state rival, Arizona, at Desert Financial Arena on Wednesday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcasted on Pac-12 Network.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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