LAS VEGAS - “We lost twice. We’re not losing three times.”

The confident words of Desmond Cambridge following ASU’s win over Oregon State on Wednesday would ring true 24 hours later as, at last, the Trojan was knocked off its horse. After two unsuccessful attempts to topple USC in the regular season (22-10), Arizona State (22-11) overcame Southern California when it mattered, as Desmond Cambridge’s 27 points led the Sun Devils to a wire-to-wire 77-72 victory in the Quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

Sensing the urgency of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona State exploded out of the tip to take an early lead against USC that they would never relinquish. What maintained their 40-minute advantage was another swarming defensive effort, as the Trojan’s 25 first half points put them in a hole from the jump. While the Trojans turned up their offense in the second half, the Sun Devils, especially Desmond Cambridge, shot right with them to get a crucial statement win with Selection Sunday looming.

“The way we started, how efficient we were on offense, guys really stepped up in a big game and got us off to a great start,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Our defense was what it’s been most of the year. We really relied on that.”

“Getting off to a great start was one of the keys and staying locked in for 40 minutes,” DJ Horne added.

Horne’s 16 points on the night helped push the envelope, but it was Desmond Cambridge that put the stamp on it after not having done so recently.

“I knew I had to come ready to play today,” Desmond Cambridge added. “Yesterday I didn’t play well, but my teammates lifted me up. My teammates put a lot of trust in me, and I need to give that back.”

Not only did Cambridge return the favor, but he might as well have wrapped it and put it under the Christmas tree himself. The Sun Devils roared out to an eight-point lead in barely a minute on Thursday, and Cambridge’s sweet shooting stroke not only helped them get that lead but continue to build upon it. In the first half alone, Cambridge scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including making three of his five 3-pointers. It was a breath of fresh air for both him and the team after Cambridge not only couldn’t find a rhythm against Oregon State on Wednesday but also in the team’s last two games of the regular season. Coming into Thursday, Cambridge had gone 8-37 from the field in the team’s final three games. On Thursday, he went 10-21, with six threes mixed in. What made his performance against USC even more heroic, though, was an unforeseen defensive effort.

“Des had a big night,” Hurley said. “He was doing everything.”

Getting down on the floor for loose balls, intercepting passes, you name it, and Desmond Cambridge did it. While his offense will shine the most, his work on defense was just one piece of yet another Sun Devil defensive masterpiece in the first half. As ASU shot the ball efficiently in the first half, including a much improved 8-of-17 mark from three compared to the combined 11-50 mark against USC, their effort and activity in holding back a dynamic offense were on display. In total, the Sun Devils forced 14 turnovers while getting nine steals, throwing the Trojans’ offense out of rhythm.

“Everybody across the board was just so active,” Hurley noted. “We didn’t want them to be able to do anything comfortable out there.”

For the first 20 minutes, USC was as uncomfortable as a guy in a puffer jacket in the Vegas summer dessert. The Trojans only featured four scorers in the first half, with nearly half of their points coming from their playmaking guard Boogie Ellis. The senior’s 11 points essentially carried the USC offense, with usually reliable scorer Drew Peterson being held to four points on 1-of-7 shooting. In total, USC shot 25 percent from the field in the first half and turned the ball over seven times compared to just one assist.

Taking away Ellis’s options is what ultimately propelled the Sun Devils to a 39-25 halftime lead. While he still got in the stat sheet, Hurley feels the Sun Devils were much improved in defending Ellis on Thursday after he dropped 28 points on them last weekend.

“Boogie Ellis was a priority,” Hurley emphasized. “He got off on us in our last matchup, so we wanted to do a better job with him.”

Considering Ellis scored just four points in the second half and fouled out, most would say that mission was accomplished. Even though Ellis was kept from carrying the torch, USC collectively picked it up in the second half, just like Hurley warned his team about at halftime following one of their best halves of the season.

“We got a big lead, and I told the guys at halftime that they’re too good of a team not to make a surge at us,” Hurley recalled. “They did. We had another response.”

That response would come in the form of matching USC bucket for bucket. The Trojans 47 second-half points got them back in the game, but the Sun Devils were relentless in keeping them at bay with big shots of their own. While Cambridge did his part, DJ Horne’s 16 points were also key, including yet another solid offensive output from Jamiya Neal, who stepped into a bigger role off the bench with the continued absence of Austin Nunez.

“With Austin going out, that was a big blow to us,” Neal said. “The guys asked me to step up in any way I can. The guys have confidence in my abilities, and I do too.”

Neal’s versatility, Cambridge’s big day, and Horne’s crisp free-throw shooting would be what allowed ASU to fend off a 47-point second half from the Trojans. Using the entirety of the shot clock down the stretch, the Sun Devils simply drained too much time for USC to comeback, and ASU held on for the much-needed victory.

“Really pleased with our performance tonight,” Hurley said. “USC’s a really good team, and it feels great because we know how good they are.”

“It was mandatory that we win this game if we wanna play in the tournament,” Cambridge said. “I don’t know who the committee is; I don’t know how they do it. Let’s not give them any chances to not put us in there.”

While improving their NCAA Tournament case would’ve meant enough to most, what made the win even sweeter for the Sun Devils was the notion of them finally getting past USC after coming up short in their two meetings with them this season, especially Saturday’s nail-biter.

“We should’ve come out last game and won that game,” Devan Cambridge said in reference to Saturday’s 68-65 loss. “We knew we could beat them. We played hard today and did what it took.”

“Can’t lose to a team three times in a row,” Horne added. “We all took that personal tonight and got the job done.”

A fine job it was, but merely a warm up to an even bigger task ahead. While the win over USC certainly helps the Sun Devils' NCAA Tournament résume, all of their work will be put to the test on Friday night, as the Sun Devils will meet the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats in the conference semifinals.

The last time the two teams met, Desmond Cambridge stole victory from the jaws of defeat with a half-court heave at the buzzer to stun Arizona on their home floor and reignite the Sun Devils postseason push. For Hurley, that duel in the desert served as a precursor to both him and the team as to what they could expect both in the conference and national tournaments.

“It was a big-time game,” Hurley remembered. “It was an early glimpse into March Madness and what that’s all about.”

While the WIldcats' eyes are on both a conference and national championship, there’s no doubt that Tommy Lloyd and company will be chomping at the bit for revenge on Friday. Rather than take their miraculous win and run, ASU is facing up to the rubber match with their arch-rivals with excitement and determination from everyone in the locker room.

“We got a lot of respect for Arizona and what they’ve accomplished,” Hurley complimented. “They can beat you in so many different ways. To be in the semifinals of a tournament like this with the teams that are still left, we feel blessed and can’t wait for the opportunity.”

“This is the time you wanna be playing your best basketball,” Horne noted. “I think we’re figuring it out right now, so just gotta keep it going. As a basketball player, this is one of the games you wanna get up for.”

“You can’t make this up,” Cambridge said. “This is what people dream of, playing in games like this. Gonna go out and give them a show."

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