Arizona State finding how tough Big 12 basketball can be

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The Arizona State Sun Devils are finding out just how tough life in the Big 12 can be.

It was another game in which ASU played well in some aspects and not in others as Central Florida turned back the Sun Devils 95-89 Tuesday night at Desert Financial Arena. The game featured 11 ties and nine lead changes. It marked the most points ASU has given up in a game this season, but the 89 points scored was ASU’s second-highest total thus far.

ASU (10-6, 1-4) has dropped four of its five conference games, with this loss coming three days after the Sun Devils lost to No. 25 Baylor in overtime.

The Sun Devils trailed by 12 at 65-53 four minutes into the second half but rallied. They were down by six at 69-63 when Amier Ali hit a 3-pointer to make it 69-66. Ali got a steal seconds later and tossed the ball to Alston Mason who dished it back to Adam Miller, who drained a game-tying three. It was a battle the rest of the way.

UCF later led 87-86 and ASU then had two misses on its next possession. UCF countered at its end with Hall making a shot for a 3-point lead with 1:26 to play. The Knights hung on from there.

Arizona State forward Basheer Jihad (8) slams two against UCF during Big 12 play at Desert Financial Arena.

What went right

Offense: When you score 89 points you’re usually on the winning end. ASU shot 52.6% (30-for-57) and it was stellar from long distance, making 12 of 24 tries. That shooting percentage was the second-best it has managed this season, the only game in which ASU fared better being a 53.7% in the win over Grand Canyon. B.J. Freeman scored 26 points on an 8-for-12 showing from the field and a 5-for-6 from the line while true freshman Jayden Quaintance scored a career-high 20. Mason and Miller were also in double figures with 15 and 10, respectively.

Good ball movement: The Sun Devils tallied 19 assists on 30 made field goals. Mason and Basheer Jihad each had five assists while Miller had four. The 19 assists was a team-high for the season.

Quaintance continues to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arizona-state-finding-tough-big-145148645.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2025-01-15 14:51:00

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