Through the first 35 minutes of play at Desert Financial Arena, Arizona State (11-8, 2-6) looked the part of a team primed to pull off a major upset at home over No. 3 Iowa State (17-2, 7-1).
ASU led for the majority of the game, including at the half where it controlled a 40-33 advantage.
However, in the last five minutes, the Sun Devils crumbled. Iowa State roared ahead with a furious 11-0 scoring run to spoil the Devils’ dreams of an upset defeating ASU Saturday afternoon 76-61.
In the first half, an energized Sun Devil crew didn’t shy away from attacking Iowa State’s stout perimeter defense. ASU’s aggressive offensive approach paid dividends early on, as the Sun Devils matched the physicality of Iowa State and controlled momentum through the first few minutes.
After an abysmal 1-9 shooting start, the Cyclones finally found their offensive groove by feeding senior guard Curtis Jones. He posted a career-high 33 points while shooting 10-22 from the floor to provide much of Iowa State’s offensive firepower.
Jones’s marksmanship from beyond the arc all afternoon gave ASU fits. He netted five three-pointers on 50% shooting from deep. Furthermore, his airtight defense contributed to an overall defensive turnaround in the second half.
“He was playing a different game than everybody else was today,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “And not only his offense, he was face-guarding us, denying us on defense, picking up full court. He played a complete game.”
Despite Jones’ efforts, Hurley’s squad still maintained a seven-point lead at the half on the back of a balanced offensive showing, which translated to the Sun Devils shooting 56% from the floor through the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, the gears on ASU’s offensive train slowed.
The physicality that resulted in a combined 24 fouls among the teams in the first half, overwhelmed the Sun Devils in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
The Cyclones held the maroon and gold to just 21 points in the half by confronting ASU’s guards with stifling on-ball defense.
In response, the Sun Devils attempted to rely on the three-ball to carry them down the stretch. Yet their efforts proved to be to no avail, as ASU could not come up with enough timely treys to break away from Iowa State, shooting just 2-12 from deep in the second half.
Down the stretch, ASU continued to unravel.
Turnovers began to mount, with the Cyclones swiping 11 second-half takeaways to bring ASU’s turnover total to a whopping 18. In critical situations, the Sun Devils looked flustered and failed to create any quality shots, instead often handing it over to Iowa State.
After the game, senior forward Basheer Jihad took accountability for some late turnovers that led to Iowa State’s monstrous late run.
“That’s on me to be better with that and make the right read,” Jihad said. “I was kind of seeing things that weren’t there… I have to limit my turnovers and make better decisions.”
Additionally, the Sun Devils’ foul trouble early in the game came back to haunt them.
After scoring five of ASU’s first seven points, star freshman forward Jayden Quaintance picked up two quick fouls in the first two minutes to send him to the bench. It proved to be a precursor for the remainder of the afternoon. Quaintance dealt with foul trouble all game long, eventually fouling out with just over four minutes remaining.
With ASU running out of steam, Iowa State turned up its intensity and ended any hopes of an upset with that 11-0 run to ice the game.
Despite the loss, Hurley remained satisfied with his team effort against one of the premiere teams in the nation.
“I respect my team for what they did and how they competed for me against a very good team,” Hurley said. “We didn’t stop them when we needed to for about two minutes late in that game and that cost us.”
Following the loss, ASU will look to get back on track, as it hits the road once again on Tuesday, Jan. 28 to take on Colorado at 7 p.m. MST.
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