Coming into Saturday night’s showdown between Arizona State and Utah, the Utes had lost just one game at home throughout conference play. Yet, it was the Sun Devils who left Salt Lake City with a win by defeating Utah 85-77.
ASU started slow through the first 10 minutes, falling behind early and continuing the scoring struggles that have haunted them all season long.
However, things quickly ramped up as both teams found grooves offensively and ended the half with ASU leading 42 to 40.
For the Sun Devils, it was a balanced attack. The ASU bench added productive minutes for head coach Bobby Hurley. Notably, this came after Hurley shook up the starting lineup, bringing junior guard Adam Miller off the bench while inserting sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr. in with the starters.
The re-emergence of Miller was a welcome sight for the Sun Devils, as the transfer had struggled before the Rocky Mountain trip. He scored eight in the first half and ultimately finished with 16 points and drained a pair of 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, Utah relied on senior center Brandon Carleson to carry the load. He caused issues in the paint all night for the Sun Devils, as he finished 25 points and 11 rebounds to secure a double-double.
Nonetheless, it was the Sun Devil’s starting guard trio that shined down the stretch. In the final 20 minutes, the guard combination of juniors Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal, along with graduate student Jose Perez combined to score 34 of ASU’s 45 second-half points.
This trio finished with 51 points altogether and eventually helped ASU secure a Quadrant 1 victory over the Utes.
The Sun Devils finished with a season-high 85 points, a far cry from the offensive struggles that the team experienced in their most recent rough patch.
This was an impressive victory for ASU because many viewed Utah as an NCAA tournament-caliber team, with only a few teams defeating them on their home floor this year.
Additionally, ASU was in a tailspin fresh off a five-game losing streak, so the win came at just the right time for the Sun Devils.
With the victory, ASU improves to 12-12 on the season and 6-7 in conference play. On the other hand, Utah falls to 15-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
The Sun Devils will look to build on this victory when they return home to face the Oregon State Beavers on February 14.
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