Arizona State (8-5, 2-0 Pac 12) seemed to somewhat play possum in the first half in a matchup against the Golden Bears of Cal (5-7, 0-2 Pac 12) as a second-half spark of the Sun Devils fed the 43rd halftime comeback win under Bobby Hurley.
ASU handed the Golden Bears a silver medal in this contest as the game ended 71-69, sweeping the Bay Area schools for the second year in a row. It was also the first time Arizona State notched back-to-back halftime deficit comeback victories on the road. The Sun Devils come back to Tempe with a 2-0 Pac-12 mark, the first time since the 87’-88 season when they opened conference play with two consecutive road wins.
Another Show of Relentlessness for the Sun Devils.
ASU coming off another blow-for-blow game down the road at Stanford, ASU’s second half resurrection did not carry over right away against Cal. In the first half of the New Year’s Eve matchup, ASU only shot 31% from the field. This would translate to only 25 first-half points, which was only three points less than Friday night’s game.
The shooting woes were not the only glaring shortcoming of the Sun Devils. Arizona State did not register a single assist in the first half, and its three assists in the contest was one of the lowest marks ever in program history this century. A non-fluid offensive flow was just one more hurdle the visitors from Tempe overcame on Sunday night.
As the case in virtually every game this season, ASU was out rebounded. The first-half stat sheet showed a 27-15 edge for the hosts, with Cal dominating the offensive rebounds to the tune of 6-0. This, in turn, would lead to Cal having seven second-chance points en route to a 35-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, Cal increased their lead to as much as 16 points, 43-27. What should have been a significant advantage that is oftentimes impossible to overcome later became the largest second-half road deficit Arizona State turned around in its favor under their current head coach, as well as the fourth halftime deficit comeback win of the year.
The Sun Devils would outscore the Golden Bears 46-34 in the second half and, at one point, went on a 9-0 run in only 18 seconds. The momentum really seemed to swing as ASU forced five second-half lead changes, once again displaying their trademark resiliency.
Collins continues to establish leadership on the floor.
As first-half woes continue to plague the Sun Devils, it has been up to Collins especially to be the true “one” of the starting five. The ASU point guard has been very vocal about the growth of the relationship with Hurley, along with increasing his leadership abilities. Against the Golden Bears, Collins truly exemplified that quality.
The junior scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, and posted five of his total six steals in the second half. Two of those five steals came on a Cal inbounds feeding the then offensive effort of the Sun Devils down the stretch. He showcased his improved jump shooting, converting 3-4 three-point shots, going 2-2 from beyond the arc during the second-half comeback. All of his four rebounds came in the last 20 minutes as well.
To dig itself out of a sizable disadvantage, the Sun Devils needed a veteran to lead the charge, and Collins unquestionably answered the call in this two-point victory.
Welcome to the party, Kamari Lands
It wasn’t only Collins who was scratching and clawing the Sun Devils back into this game. Lands made sure that he made his impact felt when most of his teammates were struggling with their shots.
The Louisville transfer has arguably yet to have a coming out game, but Sunday night was a true showing for the sophomore out of Indiana. In a different looking five coming out of the half, Lands seized the opportunity, scoring all of his 11 points in the second half. ASU is, in fact, 4-1 this year when Lands scores in double figures.
All four of Lands’ field goal attempts came from beyond the three-point line, where he connected on three of them, and was responsible for half of the made long range jumpers the Sun Devils tallied in the second half.
Lands added five defensive rebounds, four of which came in the second half, as the Sun Devils needed every possession possible in a nip-and-tuck contest. Lands seems to be settling in nicely at the effective first-man of the bench role on a team where contributions from its reserves are hardly a given this year.
Déjà vu struggles on the boards
Injuries are an element that the Sun Devils have had to contend with for several weeks this season. Key big men like Shawn Phillips Jr. and Zane Meeks have missed considerable time, but Phillips made his return against Stanford on Friday.
Although the team has desperately missed the 7’0 frame of Phillips, rebounds were once again a shortcoming tonight. ASU eclipsed its season average of a -7.7 rebound deficit, seeing Cal control the boards in double-digit fashion, 45-35.
Ironically, second-chance points ended up with a modest 9-6 advantage for the Bears. In a game where quality possessions proved to be a tipping point, a better showing on the glass can certainly ease the pressure off Hurley’s squad.
It is unclear how healthy Phillips is while still bouncing back from injury, but Alonzo Gaffney, Bryant Selebangue, and a young Akil Watson will need to step up for ASU and minimize the damage that is taking place in the rebounding department.
Momentum back to Tempe ahead of mountain school series
Coming off a three-game skid now that was followed by a gritty road sweep, the Sun Devils will have to build off this showing and play a cleaner game as they are set to host two conference foes that can probably each make a good case for an NCAA tournament bid.
Colorado swept the Washington schools at home this week, improving to 11-2 (2-0 Pac 12), and previously had a narrow loss to a formidable Colorado State squad on the road. In Utah’s case (who ASU will see first), the Utes have an identical record to Colorado and have also swept the Washington Schools while also bolstering a win over in-state rival BYU, who had their way with the Sun Devils earlier in the season.
Nonetheless, ASU has shown to be very hard to beat at home, sporting a 5-0 record thus far. However, none of the teams they prevailed over at Desert Financial Arena are anywhere close to the caliber of Utah and Colorado. ASU has to translate the confidence they returned home with to try and make a statement against their upcoming opponents and show that they have a true chance to turn around a season that just ten days ago seemed to be headed in the wrong direction.
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