TEMPE — After Gonzaga graduate forward Graham Ike soared for a dunk over freshman forward Kash Polk, the Arizona State faithful stood in silence and dismay, as the pillars of hope slowly crumbled for the Sun Devils.
The No. 19 Bulldogs went on the road and took care of business in Tempe, defeating the Sun Devils 77-65.
The biggest difference in the game?
The Sun Devils weren’t able to match the physicality of the Bulldogs down the stretch, and it showed in the latter part of the first half. ASU got outrebounded 45 to 31 and was outscored by 10 points in the paint.
Ike led the way in the dominant outing for the Gonzaga frontcourt, tallying 20 points.
The Sun Devils tried to throw a few different bodies at the Bulldogs’ big men, such as graduate forward Allen Mukeba and freshman center Massamba Diop. Yet, they couldn’t slow down a frontcourt that overpowered ASU’s front lines.
“Allen was solid,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “He battled those guys. That was a formidable frontcourt, if anything.”
But Sparky didn’t just struggle in the paint. ASU got checkmated in almost every major category, with their struggles at the free-throw line being a large factor in the outcome. The Bulldogs garnered 35 free throws, netting 27 points from the charity stripe, while the Maroon and Gold went 13-for-23 from the line.
“We have to play better,” Hurley said. “We have to convert our free throws. We cannot have stretched on offense like we did, where we do not score for minutes against a team like this.”
Early on, points off turnovers, second chance points and defensive tenacity sent the home crowd into a frenzy early, as the Sun Devils showed signs of promise. Four minutes into the game, ASU generated two steals, multiple stops and knocked down two quick transition threes, frustrating Gonzaga coach Mark Few’s squad.
However, the Zags quickly found a rhythm offensively, while Arizona State went ice cold from the field.
The spark, tempo and momentum quickly shifted the other way as the Sun Devils couldn’t make shots, with lackluster shooting and poor shot selection, resulting in an over five-minute scoring drought and a 1-for-11 shooting stretch from the field.
The Bulldogs capitalized, as former Grand Canyon graduate guard Tyon Grant-Foster contributed 14 points to pair with 12 rebounds in his return to Arizona. Meanwhile, boos rained down from the stands as former ASU guard, graduate player Adam Miller, returned to Desert Financial Arena, adding a few clutch buckets late to close it out for the visitors.
Still, Arizona State battled back, cutting the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions, including a Bryce Ford three-pointer from deep to bring ASU within five in the second half, riling up the crowd.
“It was remarkable,” Hurley said. “With all that went on that we were still at nine and had a chance if we would have got a stop. It is a tribute to their resilience and how they fought, and I told them that after the game.”
Hurley expressed his dismay of the refs, along with the Tempe crowd, as boos and chants filled the arena in a chippy game. Sophomore forward Santiago Trouet got issued a technical foul with just under 10 minutes to play in the game, followed by Hurley about 40 seconds later to play after Diop wasn’t awarded free throws after a physical finish at the rim.
“I am just not going to comment on it,” Hurley said. “I could go into this for 10 or 15 minutes talking about this, but I am not going to tonight.”
The Sun Devils, despite all the issues, managed to hang around against a perennial powerhouse, showcasing persistence and determination.
“I feel like we competed really well,” junior guard Bryce Ford said. “I feel like the bigger the team that walks in here, the excited we get. We are not scared of anybody. I feel like we are going to show up for it, and it is just going to make us play better. We are a big moment team.”
Arizona State will end its four-game home stand at Desert Financial Arena Monday night when it plays Georgia State at 7 p.m. MST.
“I say we have a lot of potential,” Ford said. “I will say that we are a tournament team.”
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