(Photo: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
To set the scene, Arizona State Men’s Basketball (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12) entered Thursday’s matchup against Colorado (4-4, 0-1 Pac-12) without its star sophomore guard Frankie Collins. It didn’t make a three-point shot in the first half and finished the night shooting 19.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Sun Devils were down by double digits multiple times, including down 12 with 7:53 left in regulation, trailed for over 35 minutes in-game time, and they won.
Despite its shooting woes, ASU miraculously crawled its way back point by point. The early 12-point deficit shrunk to two points with under ten seconds left, opening up an opportunity for senior guard Desmond Cambridge Jr., who sunk a game-winning 3-point attempt with under three seconds to complete a 16-3 run for ASU to close out its 60-59 win.
Cambridge Jr.’s game-high 18 points opened Pac-12 play for ASU with a bang. The Sun Devils entered Thursday, losing four of their last five Pac-12 openers and five of their last six against the Buffaloes. ASU’s hard-nosed second-half defense made up for the first-half disappointing offensive shortcomings.
ASU’s first-half offensive game plan appeared to be longball, but a 0-for-13 performance behind the arch forced the offense to adapt. The lack of an offensive attack was amplified due to the absence of Collins, who has been the offensive facilitator.
Without Collins, the Sun Devils lacked an offensive rhythm. ASU has found success in driving and kicking to the perimeter, but Colorado’s defenders’ physicality plagued the perimeter play. The Sun Devils, with no playmaker, had to settle with dribble handoffs to try and create a little momentum trying to go downhill.
However, that attack was unsuccessful as ASU couldn’t finish at the rim shooting 3-of-9 on layups. The Sun Devils struggled to create separation between themselves and the defenders, forcing the offense into many contested off-the-dribble jumpers rather than the usual catch-and-shoot opportunities that came with Collins’ gravity with the ball.
The Sun Devils pride themselves on turning their defense into offense, but the sentiment didn’t carry into Thursday’s game. Colorado dominated on the glass in the first half, grabbing nine offensive rebounds and winning the rebound margin 29-17. The Buffaloes used the score of nine second-chance points, drawing an abundance of Sun Devils’ fouls.
ASU was bullied early and committed enough fouls to put Colorado in the bonus with 11:40 left in the first half, restricting the program’s usual high defensive intensity. The Buffaloes took advantage by driving to the basket, forcing the Sun Devils to collapse and leaving the perimeter wide open for shooters. Colorado shot 6-for-13 from beyond the arc, fueling an 18-5 run and a 15-point halftime lead.
After the discouraging shooting performance, ASU adjusted and returned to the fundamentals. The Sun Devils wanted to get out in the break, and to do that, they pressured Buffalo ball handlers and forced many turnovers. Nine steals in the second half, 14 in total, led to 22 points off turnovers. Colorado turned the ball over 20 times, which was the catalyst that kept ASU within striking distance.
The program began to take advantage of its size over the more undersized Buffalo. The Sun Devils scored 16 of their 26 paint points in the second half, which came from various sources like big man senior forward Warren Washington and quick cuts by senior guard Devan Cambridge. Easy shots led to much more fluent ball movement for ASU, who had 12 assists after halftime after only 4 in the first half.
The interior pressure forced the Buffaloes to collapse into the paint, which opened up space around the perimeter for Sun Devil shooters. Compared to the first half ASU was light, going from zero percent to 38.5 percent, making five 3-pointers, including Cambridge Jr.’s final game-winning three. The senior’s final-second shot allows the Sun Devils to leave Boulder grinning ear-to-ear, throwing peace signs toward the hostile Colorado crowd on the way out. ASU escapes to Tempe 7-1, where it’ll face off against another Pac-12 opponent in Stanford on Sunday.
