Just over one year ago, Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley described his team as “outgunned” after a crushing 105-60 defeat on the road to in-state rival Arizona.
One year later, he used the same verbiage, except this time, his voice didn’t carry a defeated tone. Instead, a solemn Hurley spoke with pride about how his team battled with a heavily depleted rotation in a 113-100 loss to the No. 24 Wildcats on Tuesday night.
“Proud of my guys, how we fought, how we battled,” Hurley said. “We had our chances, the bottom line is we’re undermanned and we’re outgunned … I mean to get 100 points with some of the lineups we have out there I think it’s amazing what these guys have been doing.”
Entering Tuesday night, Hurley held just a 4-16 record against the Wildcats and had just two wins at the McKale center. The home crowd kindly welcomed Hurley with a shower of chants and boos. It later exploded into a frenzy midway through the first half when he received his first technical foul of the night.
On the floor, the Sun Devils, handicapped again by injuries, faced an uphill battle heading into the raucous road environment.
To add to the Sun Devils slew of misfortunes, senior guard Adam Miller hobbled off the court just one possession into the game. After suffering a hip injury against BYU, Miller tried to buck it up against the Wildcats, but couldn’t make it past the first minute. It brought ASU’s thin, mostly seven-man rotation down to six in a matter of seconds.
By the time the final horn sounded, only six ASU players had played more than six minutes on the floor.
Early on, Arizona set the tone with its physical play–especially down in the low post.
With standout freshman forward Jayden Quaintance sidelined due to a knee injury, suffered on Feb. 23 against Kansas State, the Sun Devils brought just two big men down to Tucson.
Down its primary rim protector, ASU struggled to hold off a Wildcat forward crew that viciously attacked the cup. Arizona ended with 52 points in the paint, 32 of which came in the first half.
However, offensively, ASU junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. helped keep the Sun Devils afloat in the first half with 11 points on 5-6 shooting to pair with his five rebounds. Nonetheless, the big man dealt with foul trouble all night long, as he picked up his fourth foul around the 13 minute mark in the second half.
AND ☝️
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 5, 2025
Strong Finish @shawnphillipsj1 💪
📺 @ESPN
🔗 https://t.co/uyVCDJgJ3A pic.twitter.com/I0PXGLxYxd
But in the final 20 minutes, it was senior guard Alston Mason who took over the game for the Sun Devils.
Mason finished with a season-high 33 points on an efficient 59% from the field and dished six assists to rally the Sun Devils down the stretch.
His running mates in the backcourt, freshmen guards Joson Sanon and Amier Ali, added 19 and 13 points respectively. They also helped contribute to just a four turnover performance.
After every Arizona scoring run, Mason and ASU’s guard tandem responded. The veteran consistently knifed through the defense and finished at the rim through contact to keep his team in the game.
No slowing him down ⚡️@AlstonMason takes it to the rim in transition 😎
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 5, 2025
📺 @ESPN
🔗 https://t.co/uyVCDJgJ3A pic.twitter.com/kFqWdjrsya
Additionally, he led a 3-point barrage from beyond the arc for the Maroon and Gold. The Devils sank 12 triples and shot an astounding 53% from long distance against an Arizona defense that struggled to find answers.
With six minutes to go, Mason swished a 3-pointer from the corner and turned to face a stunned Wildcat crowd who witnessed its team’s lead shrivel to just three points at 89-86.
“I’m just trying to do my best being a leader out there [and] communicating with guys,” Mason said. “It’s a rough patch for us and we’re not used to losing. When we’re out here with young guys I just [try] to keep their heads up and make sure they’re in the right mindset.”
Yet, eventually the Sun Devils ran out of steam. Arizona’s depth and talent propelled the Wildcats past the century mark, leaving Sparky empty handed despite its inspired effort. Sophomore forward Henri Veesaar led the Arizona in the scoring department with 22 points off the bench.
Still, with a minute left and down double digits, Mason could be found diving on the floor for loose balls, as he refused to give in late.
“It means everything to him,” Hurley said of his senior point guard. “I know it does … His dad (Alton Mason) played at ASU [so] it matters putting on that jersey.”
In the midst of its ninth loss in 10 games, Hurley commended his team for continuing to battle through adversity considering the clouds of injuries and controversy it has had to deal with.
“It’s very easy to let go of the rope and feel sorry for yourself or not compete,” Hurley said. “And these guys have stayed together through all the chaos that we’ve had and a lot of unfortunate things that have gone on.”
Coming off the hard-fought loss to Arizona, the Sun Devils will look to end the regular season on a winning note this Saturday at 6 p.m. MST, as No. 9 Texas Tech comes to Tempe for ASU’s senior day.
Leave a Reply