TEMPE – As senior forward Allen Mukeba trudged over to the Arizona State bench after picking up his fifth foul, ASU coach Bobby Hurley stood befuddled on the sideline, sarcastically laughing and shaking his head.
The foul sent Gonzaga senior forward Graham Ike to the line to shoot the Bulldogs’ 30th free throw of the contest – they attempted 35 in total. It was a night where Hurley argued and jawed with officials until the final whistle, culminating in the Sun Devils’ 77-65 loss to No. 19 Gonzaga.
After the game, Hurley’s press conference lasted less than five and a half minutes and was filled with moments of pause and reflection, as he peered down at his microphone in front of him, searching for the right words to describe how he viewed the officiating – he ultimately found few.
“I’m not going to comment on it,” Hurley said when asked about the officiating.
But it was remarkable that with all that went on, that we were still at nine and would have had a chance if we would have gotten a stop.”
Eventually, the frustration boiled over into a technical foul, as just 40 seconds after the referees issued sophomore forward Santiago Trouet a tech near the midway point in the second half, Hurley earned one of his own.
Although the Sun Devils fought to stay in the game, the technical fouls silenced any last-gasp attempt at a comeback for Sparky, as it once again faced a double-digit deficit.
“When the techs are happening, just knowing that it’s just us and (to) keep the momentum going, and don’t let that sit in the back of our mind because if that happens, then it’s over,” junior guard Bryce Ford said on the team’s mindset amidst the technical fouls. “Just have a short-term memory.”
However, the Maroon and Gold didn’t do itself any favors, shooting just 57% from the free-throw line and logging four more turnovers than Gonzaga to contribute to a night of undisciplined play.
“We just had bad possessions,” Hurley said. “We had a couple of turnovers. And if you play an opponent like this, you can’t miss free throws. I know that’s haunted us in the past under my tenure – missed free throws. But we certainly had no business doing that today against a team of this caliber.”
While the emotions of the back-and-forth between Hurley and the officiating crew took a toll on ASU, he also acknowledged the importance of focusing on the controllable aspects of his team’s performance, which fell short on Friday night.
“It’s not just about exterior or external things,” Hurley said. “It’s (also) us. We have to play better. We have to convert our free throws. We can’t have stretches on offense where we don’t score for minutes against a team like this.”
Hurley has had a long history of getting into quarrels with officials, earning a reputation for being an impassioned coach on the sideline.
Yet, after years of disputes with referees and league offices, he’s waved the white flag in trying to receive further explanation behind what he views as inconsistent officiating.
“There won’t be any feedback,” Hurley said. “I won’t get any feedback. There’ll be nothing. Zero, seriously, and sending clips in doesn’t do me any good. So I don’t (know), it gets me nowhere. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
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