(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
With just 34.5 seconds left in regulation, the tension in Viejas Arena was palpable.
It was Arizona State Men’s Basketball’s possession. San Diego State led by one, breaking a prior tie at 63 thanks to a free-throw line floater from fifth-year senior guard Trey Pulliam.
Twenty-six seconds flashed on the shot clock, but the Sun Devils wasted no time off the sideline inbounds.
The ball was entered to ASU senior guard Marreon Jackson, who wiggled his way past the perimeter and down into the left short corner. He maneuvered and pivoted, looking for an opening. Tight on-ball play from an Aztec defender, however, forced the Toledo transfer to sling a baseline pass to sophomore guard DJ Horne for a moderately contested right-corner three-pointer.
Horne’s attempt clanked off the rim, but Jackson’s hustle for the long board paid off. With around 14 seconds remaining and no shot clock left, the veteran guard dribbled straight back past the perimeter ring and launched a quick follow-up from the left wing.
It fell extremely short, barely grazing off the rim. A scramble for possession ensued amongst a bevy of Sun Devil and Aztec players, ultimately resulting in a tie-up. The jump ball would fall in favor of San Diego State.
SDSU senior guard Matt Bradley, who finished 6-10 at the line on the night, made one of his next two free throws after a foul from ASU junior forward Alonzo Gaffney, putting the Sun Devils’ down 65-63.
It was Bradley’s second shot that could not find the bottom of the net, and ASU senior forward Kimani Lawrence rose up for his 12th rebound of the night.
Without hesitation, Lawrence found his outlet in Jackson, who sped down the left sideline looking to make a play as time wound down.
Once past half-court, though, he drew a second defender, which left freshman guard Jamiya Neal open in the corner. To Jackson’s credit, he quickly gave up the rock, trusting Neal with the Sun Devils’ final shot.
The Aztec defender who initially left Neal for Jackson tried to recover, but the freshman had a clean look at the basket to send the contest into overtime.
Neal’s shot was as straight as an arrow, but it was too strong, just nipping the backside of the hoop as the horn sounded, and the final score read 65-63 Aztecs, an outcome shaped by each team’s subpar performance from the field.
ASU put up 59 shots at a clip of 37%. And even with the win, San Diego State didn’t fare much better, recording a lesser 51 attempts on 39% shooting.
In broad strokes, these numbers indicate offensive success came in peaks and valleys for both sides.
True to form, the Aztecs controlled the majority of the first half before letting up the lead by the break.
At the 3:05 mark of the opening period, SDSU found itself up 28-25. Though a small margin, Dutcher’s group had let up the lead just once, and for a minimal 15 seconds.
Up to this point, San Diego State did not have any standout performers, but it had spread the wealth enough to establish and maintain its lead. Seven of the eleven players receiving minutes sprinkled in points across the box score.
With that said, the Aztecs’ offensive output would fall completely silent for the remainder of the half, leaving the door open for the Sun Devils to take the scoreboard heading into the locker room.
They did just that.
Just under the two-minute mark, Horne went to work off the right wing, driving to his mid-range spot, stopping on a dime, and rising up for his second bucket of the frame.
Coming off an uber-efficient 16-point performance against North Florida on Monday, the Illinois State transfer would shoot just 37.5% for nine points against San Diego State on Thursday. Whatever the case, his pull-up jumper was timely to ASU’s efforts late in the first.
With the closing moments of the half drawing near, SDSU sophomore guard Lamont Butler drove right of the lane, attempting to snap the Aztecs’ cold spell and generate positive momentum going into halftime. Unfortunately for Butler and SDSU’s narrow lead, his take to the hoop was unsuccessful.
The board was pulled in by Lawrence with five seconds left and, showing great court awareness, the veteran quickly found a running Jackson for a last-second make from distance.
With the 30-28 lead after the first 20 minutes, the Sun Devils’ 5-0 run to close out the first period would spark a fast start to the next half.
On their opening possession of the second half, a Jackson airball would be recovered by Lawrence just inside of the baseline. Lawrence threw it back out to redshirt junior guard transfer Luther Muhammad for a second-chance opportunity from deep.
A couple possessions following Muhammad’s first points of the game, Hurley’s starting five found more success in the second-chance category.
Initiated once more by a Jackson miss from long range, Lawrence’s persistence on the offensive glass kept the possession alive, ultimately allowing for a drive-and-kick to Horne in the left-corner for ASU’s second three in the opening minutes of the second half.
Lawrence’s activity on the offensive boards has provided and continues to provide value to the Sun Devils that is hard to ignore.
Heading into Thursday night, Lawrence had already reeled in nine offensive rebounds across ASU’s first three games. At the conclusion of the Sun Devils matchup with SDSU, the fifth year forward would facilitate five more second-chance possessions for Hurley’s squad.
The Sun Devils’ early run culminated in a 9-2 advantage through the first three minutes of the half.
But considering the two teams’ back-and-forth dynamic, ASU’s run would precede a resounding answer from its hosts.
Down 39-30, the Aztecs methodically worked to eliminate their deficit by turning high-energy defense into high-efficiency offense.
Following Butler’s three-pointer from the right-wing to start things off, senior forward Nathan Mensah’s towering denial of Jackson’s driving take kickstarted a quick transition opportunity that resulted in free throws.
On ASU’s next possession down the floor, an attack from Horne down the middle of the paint was stymied by SDSU junior forward Keshad Johnson who smartly stepped in to take a charge. With great momentum coming off a second consecutive intuitive defensive play, pristine ball movement would spring a clear look from three.
Effective penetration by Pulliam over the right block crunched the Sun Devils’ defense, opening up a baseline skip to Johnson in the left corner and an extra swing pass to senior guard Adam Seiko for a three at the wing.
Having climbed back into things with the score knotted up at 39, the Aztecs refused to let up, disrupting the Sun Devils’ offense for a third-straight turnover, this time in the form of an old-fashioned steal by Seiko which led to a layup-line finish by Butler at the other end.
When San Diego State’s comeback run was all said and done, they had bum-rushed Arizona State for 12 unanswered points and a three-point lead, 42-39.
At the conclusion of both teams’ runs to open the half, it was nip-and-tuck for the final 14:04 of regulation. Neither team managed a lead above four points. SDSU’s Butler and ASU’s Jackson emerged as go-to options throughout the second half at-large, each turning in double-digit scoring figures across that span.
For Jackson in particular, his performance marked promise for the coveted transfer’s final collegiate campaign. Playing under some level of knee pain through ASU’s first two games, Jackson’s production as a scorer and overall playmaker fell notably below expectations – he registered a combined eight points, eight assists and five turnovers against Portland and UC Riverside. But after scoring in double figures for the first time in a Sun Devil uniform on Tuesday, Jackson’s season-high 16 points and seven assists against San Diego State is seemingly a positive sign for a player that is meant to play a huge role in Hurley’s backcourt this year.
Following Thursday’s loss to a team that many considered as ASU’s first big non-conference test, the Sun Devils will have their hands full at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament next week, where their first opponent is the reigning national champions: Baylor.
