Arizona State picked up another Quad 1 win and its first road victory of the year in a 65-57 road upset against No. 23 West Virginia, and this contest was the Sun Devils most impressive showing of the season. With the halftime score at 24-23, it looked like the Sun Devils were in for yet another low-scoring affair, but both teams found their stride at certain points in the second half, a period where ASU held a double-digit lead for much of the final 20 minutes.
An overpowering defense leads the way
Arizona State has turned the ball over at least 10 times in every game this season, and that trend quickly continued on Tuesday night with nine first-half turnovers. 19 of West Virginia’s 23 points at halftime came off ASU turnovers. Yet, the Sun Devils took much better care of the ball in the second half. While they finished with 15 total turnovers, several of those came in the final few minutes of the game with the Mountaineers full-court pressing.
When West Virginia had to take the ball into the halfcourt with Arizona State’s defense set, its offensive efficiency dropped significantly. In the second half, the Mountaineers only scored 9 points off of turnovers, and they finished the game shooting 31% from the field and 4-29 from 3-point range.
Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance roamed the paint, halting any opposing player trying to drive into the teeth of the defense, blocking three shots, and breaking the single-season record for blocks in a season by an ASU freshman previously held by Mario Bennett. Quaintance, who came into this contest leading the country with a 3.2 per-game average, has erased 57 shots so far this season.
The Sun Devils also held West Virginia’s leading scorer, senior guard Javon Small, to just 14 points, and 10 of them came from the line. Hall leads the Big 12, averaging nearly 20 points a game, but was held to 2-11 from the field, missing all of his eight three-point attempts. ASU blitzed him on the pick-and-roll all night long, frustrating him and West Virginia’s offense.
“That was something we definitely focused on a lot,” Quaintance explained. “He’s a big part of their offense, and stopping him was a big factor for us to get the win tonight.”
Need to find a way to limit turnovers and break late-game presses
ASU led 53-42 with six minutes remaining in the game, but West Virginia began pressing the Sun Devils and shaved the lead to bring the game to 55-51 due to the Mountaineers pressing Arizona State. ASU’s ball handlers were forced into the corners, where they committed turnover after turnover.
ASU came into the game second-worst in the Big 12 with 13.4 turnovers per game, and senior guard Alston Mason has been the only player that head coach Bobby Hurley has been able to trust in close games. Quaintance had five turnovers in this game, with the Mountaineers swarming him and any other Sun Devil that tried to drive into the lane immediately.
“That’s kind of been the story for us the last couple games,” Quaintance remarked. “We were working hard to try and cut out the turnovers and be a lot stronger with the ball. I feel like we were able to do that in the second half, and it resulted in a win.”
The Sun Devils need to keep their eyes up when they get into the painted area, as nearly every player on the court is a threat from beyond the arc. Miller and senior guard Alston Mason are the only players who have proven to be trusted with the ball in late-game situations. However, teams have forced them to get rid of the ball and advance it down the court, where they pounce on whoever has it.
ASU sharing the scoring load with Sanon out
Freshman guard Joson Sanon hasn’t played in five of the last six games due to an ankle injury, and forced Arizona State to explore other ways to collectively fill the void left by its second-leading scorer (12.8 ppg). With Sanon on the bench, multiple Sun Devils have stepped up at different times, as four different players led the team in scoring in the last six games.
Senior guard BJ Freeman has finished as the top scorer in three separate games, while Quaintance, senior guard Alston Mason, and senior forward Basheer Jihad have all been the leading scorer once. Freeman, Jihad, Quaintance, and Miller all scored in double digits against West Virginia, with Jihad leading the charge and scoring a team-high 17 points.
“We needed Jihad big time tonight,” Quaintance stated. “Big-time players make big-time plays, and he did that all night for us. He was a huge help, and he came up big for us.”
Freeman has been the main guy the Sun Devils have gone to when they need a bucket. His improved three-point shot and post-game performance make him a threat on all three levels. The oversized guard uses his height to his advantage, backing down defenders before flipping a quick shot right over them and in.
Halfcourt offense stepped up in the absence of fastbreak opportunities
While West Virginia seemed to get out on the break at will, Arizona State’s fastbreak chances were severely lacking despite dominating the glass. ASU only forced six turnovers, leading to six fastbreak points, forcing them to set up shop in the halfcourt. While ASU’s shots weren’t falling in the first half, the Sun Devils found a way to generate offense in the halfcourt once halftime ended. Even without their trademark fast-paced scheme, resorting to a more methodical style of play that is out of character, Arizona State led for over 30 minutes in this upset win.
With West Virginia on its heels in the final stretch of the game, dribble penetration from the ball handler attracted two Mountaineers, leaving the paint wide open for Quaintance or Jihad. Mason and Quaintance ran the two-man game to perfection in the waning moments of the contest, where Mason would simply drive in and dump the ball off to Quaintance for an easy dunk or layup.
“The guards keep their heads up and always find the right play,” Quaintance commented. “We trust in the guard, and we trust in everybody on this team. We were able to put a good game together and were able to work for a full 40 minutes.”
These possessions came in handy when West Virginia nearly closed the deficit, as ASU had little time once the press was finally broken and the offense settled it. The calm and collected Mason took charge, and although he went 1-7 from the field, he let his teammates take the scoring load while he fed them opportunity after opportunity through his four assists.
Winning the rebound margin limits second-chance points
In Big 12 play, ASU has continuously been bested on the glass, losing the rebounding margin in all but one conference loss. In one of the more physical leagues in the country, the Sun Devils must limit offensive rebounds and second-chance points, which they did tonight. Arizona State won the rebounding margin 42-28, only allowing nine offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points.
Quaintance grabbed 12 rebounds to go with 15 points for his sixth double-double of the year, and his defensive presence has greatly impacted opponents' shot choices. The Mountaineers scored 26 points in the paint while shooting 29 threes, only making four. The 17-year-old is already a force to be reckoned with, and his game only grows each time he steps on the court.
“I’ve just been trying to be more aggressive,” Quaintance voiced. “I try to look to attack more, and that’s been my thing since the beginning of the season. The last couple of games I’ve definitely been more aggressive-minded, especially on offense, so that’s been good for me.”
Quaintance and his squad will host one of its biggest challenges of the season on Saturday in Tempe, a red-hot No. 3 Iowa State that avenged its loss to West Virginia by beating UCF 108-83. The Cyclones are just one of the many teams in the Big 12 gauntlet ASU will face this season, but Quaintance welcomes the test at home.
“We were able to put together a solid 40 minutes on both sides of the ball tonight,” freshman forward Jayden Quaintance said. “I feel like our problem has been piecing together a full game. We’ve been in games for a half, but we haven’t been able to finish them out how we’re supposed to. This was a great win and a lot of momentum going forward for us.”
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