In Arizona State’s penultimate Pac-12 showing, coach Bobby Hurley’s squad put up a fight against USC but ultimately fell 81-73.
USC’s three-point shooting seemed to be the biggest opponent for ASU, going 12-for-24 beyond the arc.
The Trojans came out hot with a 13-4 lead just five minutes into the game, making five of their first seven shots.
But ASU wasn’t going to allow USC to have a lead anymore, going on a 14-0 run and taking the lead 25-20. The Sun Devils shot 8-of-10 from the free throw line and held the Trojans to 10-of-24 from the floor in the first half, which finished at 32 a piece.
ASU put up a fight against USC despite the loss. Big performances from some key players helped the Sun Devils stay in the game.
Graduate guard Jose Perez continued to show his dominance on the court, leading the Sun Devils with 25 points (14-16; 8-11) and making all of his 11 free throws.
This is the seventh consecutive game Perez has scored at least 14 points, averaging 17.3 points. Perez also has eight 20 double-figure scoring performances on the season.
However, the game ended up being Perez’s last as a Sun Devil. The veteran guard abruptly left the team after the loss to pursue professional opportunities overseas.
Junior guard Frankie Collins stole the spot for most Sun Devils steals in a season, tallying 82. Collins finished the night with 11 points, six assists, and four steals.
Redshirt junior guard Adam Miller has been showing his potential, ending the night with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Miller is shooting 42-for-75 (.560) from the field, 14-for-33 (.424) from three and 24-for-30 (.800) from the free throw line.
The Sun Devils close the regular season at UCLA on Saturday before heading to Las Vegas to compete in the final PAC-12 tournament.
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