When fifth-year Baylor guard Jeremy Roach missed his second free throw with 7.3 seconds remaining on the game clock, the 9,449 in attendance at Desert Financial Arena held their breath as to what would happen next with Saturday night’s game hanging in the balance.
Down two points, there was no time for the Sun Devils to execute a set action. However, after receiving the outlet pass on the sideline, ASU senior guard Adam Miller turned the corner on Roach and lofted a difficult floater that found the bottom of the basket with 1.9 seconds to play, sending the contest into overtime.
“I’m not gonna lie, I knew if I got the ball, I was going to shoot it,” Miller said. “So, I kind of just tried to get as close as I could and throw it up and put a little touch on it and knocked it down. Just was ready for it and knew if I was going to get a chance to tie the game, I was going to take the shot.”
Jubilation ran through the fans. Arizona State seemingly had little chance in the contest for most of the second half, trailing by nine with under five minutes to play. Following a resilient effort, it’d seem favorable for the players to carry their impulses into overtime. Maybe the tide had turned in the ball game?
The next five minutes would nullify any momentum Arizona State (10-5, 1-3 Big 12) might conjure up; it would fail to score in the first three minutes of the extra period, eventually conceding a 72-66 loss.
Leading for just 17 seconds in the contest, ASU kept itself in the game with timely shot-making in the second half and critical stops. Despite continuously falling into holes ranging from seven to 15 points, the players continued to counter, eventually rallying into single digits consistently with under five minutes to play.
“I thought that we were able to chip right away get it to seven,” Head coach Bobby Hurley said post-game. “They went on a spurt there that we responded again. So, we just kept answering their runs, which was a positive sign.”
Although the Sun Devils managed a valiant effort to crawl back into a wavering game, their execution was lackluster in the half-court, causing them to struggle to put up points on crucial possessions, including overtime.
“We had to be able to drive their switches and try to take advantage of their bigs being on our guards,” Hurley said. “We didn't do it great in the first half. I thought as the game wore on. We were better. That's key, certainly, to hit the paint and kick out.
“They're very good defensively. They're athletic, they're physical. So, we got to be able to try and win an ugly game like this, where we don't have maybe the best stuff on offense. So, but we weren't able to get it done. We fought pretty hard to try get it done.”
In their second home game in the Big 12 conference, Baylor (11-4, 3-1) punished the Sun Devils on the defensive side of the floor as they scored just 20 points in the first half. Hurley admitted the gauntlet of the Big 12 conference was beginning to shine through as the team falls to two games under .500 in conference play.
“I thought some stuff they were doing affected us; there was an adjustment period,” Hurley said. We were not very efficient on offense and just didn’t have a lot of juice. I don’t know I think it’s an adjustment this league will be an adjustment.”
The offensive woes certainly showed clearly on the stat sheet on Saturday, shooting just 37% from the field and 29% from three-point range, a notable dip from ASU’s 44% and 36% averages on the season.
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Besides senior guard BJ Freeman, who scored 22 points on 8-19 shooting, the Sun Devils never found consistency on the offensive end. According to Miller, the team plays discombobulated for noticeable stretches, and it's obvious how disconnected they play.
“I’ve been on teams where, like, Okay, we may have missed shots, but the intensity and the focus never dropped,” Miller said. “You’re only strongest as your weakest link out there if one guy messes up its a domino effect because now somebody else has to step up. We just got to find ways to not have that happen and be locked in and have that extra boost in the times of the game that we needed.”
Regardless of the scoring output, ASU can hang its hat on a resounding defensive performance. The Bears' 16 turnovers are the most conceded by an opponent this season for the Maroon and Gold. It couples as just the fourth matchup of the season where it had fewer turnovers than an opponent.
The Sun Devils continue to force turnovers and cause problems for the opposition through high-intensity basketball, as demonstrated in their 74-55 loss to Kansas on Wednesday. When they turn the temperature up, it's dangerous. Scoring 22 fast break points and 19 points off turnovers, running in transition became a cornerstone of the comeback.
“We didn't do anything special,” Miller said. “We just started playing like our hair was on fire in the first half; we weren't doing that. Honest, I like our press. I feel like we probably should press a little bit more. I think it sets the tone, like, especially out the gate, and I think it sets the tone, but I think we just played with our hair on fire, and it kind of helped us, and we got to play like that more often.”
In multiple facets, ASU played significantly better on the defensive end than Baylor. It held its opponent, who averages over 82 points per game, to just 61 in regulation and halted Roach's scoring to just seven points.
The next glaring issue arose when eyeing down the rebounding battling on both ends. The Bears dominate inside. Forwards fifth-year Norchad Omier and junior Josh Ojianwuna combined for 25 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. This is a stark contrast from 17-year-old freshman forward Jayden Quaintance and senior forward Basheer Jihad, who combined for 13 caroms.
Positively freshman guard Joson Sanon made his return to the hardwood after missing two games with a mild ankle sprain, he scored five points in 17 minutes of action due to a minutes restriction being currently in place. “I thought he was fine moving, so hopefully we just keep building on it,” Hurley said.
Now in the full swing of conference play, the Sun Devils will have a quick turnaround, hosting UCF on Tuesday. After being dealt consecutive defeats for the first time in the 2024-25 season, the players have their backs against the wall and are eyeing getting back to their winning ways.
“I think that it's just the game within the game,” Miller said. “You're not always going to be able to make the ball just go straight in the hoop, but you can run things to make the defense tired. We make young mistakes and we don't always do you can see it. I'm not a genius, it's just a little things that we got to be together more, and we got just got to value the ball.”
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