(Photo: Courtesy Sun Devil Athletics)
In its third game in less than 48 hours, Arizona State men’s basketball faltered in the Maui Invitational Championship Game.
ASU didn’t score in the last five minutes of an 88-75 loss to Southern California (7-0), ending a four-game run for the Sun Devils (6-2) in Hawaii
First-Half Offensive Explosion For Both
The first half started similarly to the previous two games on the Valley Isle. ASU scored 43 points, the most in a first half in this tournament.
The Sun Devils were efficient from deep, knocking down 5-of-13 three-pointers, with senior guard Moe Odum making a pair.
However, Odum struggled to recapture the heights of his previous two performances in Maui, as his only makes of the first half were the two three-pointers.
Odum continued to bring ASU an edge in transition, as his team outscored USC 11-1 in fastbreak points in the first half.
Redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet and freshman center Massamba Diop reaped the rewards from Odum’s creation, as they combined for 20 points in the first half.
Despite the Sun Devils’ own offensive explosion, the defense once again allowed a similar blast from the three-point line.
Graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara scored 11 points, nine coming from beyond the arc in the first twenty minutes. Graduate forward Jaden Brownwell also caught fire from three, knocking two down early.
Ran Out of Gas
While USC’s offense continued to sustain its production in the second half, ASU showed clear signs of fatigue.
The Sun Devils shot 3-of-12 from three in the second half, and they only made eight total field goals.
The powerful fastbreak from the first half vanished in the second. ASU only managed four points in transition, which was still two more than USC did.
USC’s fastbreak may have been slow and unproductive, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the team’s offensive production.
USC made 17 shots in each half, with very similar efficiencies in both. They shot 60.7% from the field in the opening half and 58.6% in the second half.
While the USC offense faltered from three in the second half, it was more than made up for by increased trips to the free-throw line. In the first half, USC was only 3-of-6 from the line, but followed it up by going 8-of-12 in the second half.
A factor in the slide from ASU’s offense and the rise of USC’s was the difference on the glass.
USC outrebounded ASU 19-12 in the second half, after only out rebounding the Sun Devils 13-12 in the first. ASU’s leading rebounder was Trouet, with only five rebounds on the afternoon.
3-1 in Hawaii
Despite the loss, the Sun Devils can hold their heads high as they’ll leave the islands with three victories.
ASU was guaranteed visits against two top-35 defenses in Hawaii and Texas, and scored 83 and 87 points against the two elite defenses.
The win against Texas earned a shoot-out against Washington State, which ASU won 100-94.
If the game against USC had been played under different circumstances, the result may have been different, as the Sun Devils simply ran out of gas by the end of a packed trip to Hawaii..
However, that wasn’t the case, and ASU earned its second loss of the season.
Now, the attention turns to how the Sun Devils build on their trip to Hawaii, as they played their best basketball of the season, but have multiple difficult matchups on the docket.
Back to the Mainland
ASU now gets a week and a half-long break, ahead of the Jerry Colangelo Classic against Oklahoma in the Mortgage Matchup Center on Dec. 6th.
