It was a game of ups and downs between the Buffaloes and Sun Devils, as fans at Desert Financial Arena watched a ten-point ASU advantage disappear. A resilient defense combined with collaborative offense allowed Arizona State (10-5, 4-0) to survive and capture its fourth straight victory, 76-73, to remain unbeaten in Pac-12 play.
The trajectory of the season appears much different for coach Bobby Hurley’s squad than it did only two weeks ago. A group of players who admittedly competed selfishly have begun to work as a team.
“I see that our attitude is better, our approach is better, our unselfishness is better,” Hurley said. “Even if we would have lost this game, I would have walked out of here very proud of our effort tonight.”
The Devils showcased a complete team effort on both ends of the floor, tallying 11 steals, eight blocks and 27 points off turnovers complemented by standout performances from junior guards Jamiya Neal and Adam Miller. The two-time transfer was encouraged by his head coach to have confidence in shots. Miller, who hadn’t suited up for the first time until mid-December, led the first-half charge with 14 points en route to a 44-38 ASU lead at the break.
“I think everybody’s kind of dialing in and locking in to the team, and it’s not about us anymore,” Miller said. “For us to finally have our team fully together, you get to see our full potential.”
Neal played a big role in the second-half surges that sealed the game, contributing nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
“Tonight I saw that our guys were off to a slow start, so I tried to bring my energy in the game every way I can – rebounding, scoring, deflections,” Neal said.
The slow start, paired with other challenges, prevented Arizona State from pulling away. sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr. and grad student forward Alonzo Gaffney each gathered four fouls, forcing Hurley to present a smaller lineup for portions of the game. Gaffney, despite his struggles from the field, stepped up with 37 seconds left with a block and a rebound to give his team the ball and force Colorado to foul junior guard Frankie Collins and send him to the free-throw line.
“Alonzo Gaffney’s block was huge. Sometimes people get frustrated when he misses a shot,” Hurley said. “Alonzo Gaffney just helped us win a basketball game by blocking a shot and then securing the ball.”
As the team moves forward as a united front, Miller suggested that the smaller size of its lineup could help deceive opponents.
“We come out with this starting five and we look short. Jose [Perez]’s six-four posting up six-seven guys and it looks crazy,” Miller said. “We’ve got guys who know their roles, we just bought in and it kind of clicked.”
The win marked ASU’s first 4-0 start to a Pac-12 season since the 2007-08 campaign, which was the eventual NBA MVP James Harden’s freshman year in Tempe.
The Sun Devils will try to maintain their undefeated conference record on the road, as they visit the Washington Huskies on Thursday for a 9 p.m. MST tipoff in Seattle.
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