Arizona State (10-7, 1-5) fell behind by as many as 17, but showed fight in cutting the Bearcats’ (12-5, 2-4) lead down to as little as four in the second half. Jayden Quaintance enjoyed another outstanding performance leading all scorers in the game with 15 points while matching a season-high with 14 rebounds. Alston Mason (13 points) and BJ Freeman(12 points) also scored in double figures and contributed to the turnaround in the second half. Ultimately, the Sun Devil comeback fell short with Cincinnati securing their second straight win.
First Half Summary
Head Coach Bobby Hurley’s team struggled to score throughout the first half, facing the challenge of the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation. Both teams started off cold from the field, as defense was the theme early in the contest. Cincinnati used the energetic crowd to generate turnovers and turned that into offense, creating the first separation in the game. The Sun Devils went on a scoring drought that lasted 5+ minutes midway through the first half which allowed Cincinnati to build on their lead. Heading into the break, the Bearcats held a 36-22 advantage.
Second Half Surge
Arizona State turned the game around with a tremendous second half effort, mounting a strong comeback. At one point the Sun Devils trailed by 17 points in the second half, but cut the lead to as little as four points. In total, they outscored the Bearcats 38-31 and shot a much improved 46% in the second half. After being held to just one point in the first half, Jayden Quaintance took over after the break, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Up Next
Arizona State stays on the road as they head to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 PM MST. It will be the first time the two programs have met on the hardwood.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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