The embattled Arizona State basketball team (9-15 overall, 5-9 Pac-12) blazed out of the gates white-hot against Oregon (17-9 overall, 10-5 Pac-12) and ultimately surged ahead with a strong second-half performance for a statement 81-57 win, finally piecing together a complete game that showcased consistent shooting on multiple levels as well as collective team grit on defense.
ASU guard Marreon Jackson transformed into a flamethrower early in the match, coming off the bench to hit every one of his first six field goals. Five of those buckets came from beyond the arc. Oregon needed to quench his production and placed two defenders on him toward the end of the first half, with ASU leading 36-30, opening up looks for the rest of the Sun Devils.
Jackson’s 16 first-half points would be his only contributions for the rest of the game, but the team’s other star players stepped up in the second half. Jalen Graham, D.J. Horne, and Kimani Lawrence combined for 38 points as each player facilitated active ball movement and diligently selected their shots.
“It’s what we’ve preached and talked about all season,” Marreon Jackson said. “Guys just having that confidence the entire season despite all the things that we’ve been through in the tough losses, COVID, and injuries. That’s been in us, and today we displayed that.”
The Sun Devils entered the game needing to pace Oregon’s firepower, but the Ducks struggled in the first half from the three-point line. Oregon was abysmal working the perimeter, converting just 1-of-12 opportunities. In the second half, they were thoroughly overwhelmed as ASU went on an 8-0 run out of halftime to make the score 42-30 and never looked back.
“I thought it was a breakout offensive performance for the guys,” Hurley said. “It was fun to watch. When you make twelve more field goals than your opponent, it’s what it should look like in terms of the score.
“It was super fun to see the balance that we had. We guarded with great energy holding them to the numbers that they shot, and it’s just great to see so many guys contributing and playing well.”
Horne opened up the scoring in the second half, nabbed a steal at the other end, and then marched down the court for another quick two points off a pull-up jumper. That sequence gave ASU a 10-point lead over Oregon, a deficit the Sun Devils would continue to extend over the course of the half. Graham also picked off a pass, raced down the court, and dimed Alonzo Gaffney under the basket in an impressive show of awareness from the power forward.
Horne continued his barrage by raining down shots from the left corner. His second three-pointer of the night came from an off-platform missile where the 6’1” point guard forewent his brakes as he flung his shot over the top of the defender. Horne, who shot 23% from the field over ASU’s past five games, was encouraged by the more satisfactory performance in Desert Financial Arena.
“I’ve definitely been in a little bit of a slump lately, so to see some go down today was good for me, Horne said. “Seeing Marreon hit a lot of shots to start the game off helped pick me up.”
“Our shot selection was definitely way better than it has been in recent games,” Jackson said. “We knocked them down today. I feel like we were just really efficient from the field in general, and that’s going to help us win a lot of games.”
ASU entered the bonus around midway through the second half and reaped the benefits despite a poor showing at the free-throw line toward the beginning of the game. Oregon suffered through a near-three-minute scoring drought before chipping away at ASU’s daunting lead. The Ducks scored eight unanswered points and created four turnovers to give themselves life.
Then the Sun Devils roared back. Graham smashed home a one-handed slam after a slight deke at the three-point opened his path to the rim. Lawrence added a dunk of his own operating out of a fast break on the following possession, giving ASU a 20-point lead with 7:03 left to play.
With ASU comfortably dominating Oregon on both fronts and enjoying the cushion of a significant lead, the team loosened up and put on a show for the energized crowd. Graham dished a no-look pass behind his back to Lawrence for the jam, then followed up the highlight by draining a three from the top of the arc. It was his first made three-pointer of the season after missing his first 14 attempts.
“Anytime you see Jalen Graham dropping behind-the-back passes, you know you’re moving the ball well,” Hurley said.
Leading 77-53, the writing was on the wall for the Ducks, and the Sun Devils were simply playing with their food. ASU tucked away Oregon with back-to-back emphatic buckets at the rim from Lawrence and Jay Heath. Oregon finished the game shooting 34.5% from the field and 5-12 from three. ASU shot at a 57.4% clip and made 9-20 three-pointers.
ASU will face Oregon State at home on Saturday before another road slate that includes stops at No. 13 UCLA, Colorado, and Utah. Coming off a strong performance where everything clicked, the Sun Devils aim to increase in poise and continue their scoring prowess headed into the gauntlet of away games.
“You never want to reach your peak at the beginning of the season,” Jackson said. “Around this time or a little bit toward tournament time is when you want to be at your best. We’re striving toward that.”
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