(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
History repeated itself as Arizona State was throttled by No. 22 Utah in Salt Lake City for the second straight season.
Utah nearly doubled up ASU in the blow out 81-46.
From the opening tip-off Utah had control. With only four minutes gone in the game, Utah held a 15-2 lead. The 15 points all came from three pointers from the hands of seniors Jordan Loveridge and Brandon Taylor.
Things only got worse as the half continued. The Sun Devils didn’t record another field goal until the five-minute mark in the first half.
Surprisingly the Devils weren’t hurt down low by sophomore center Jakob Poeltl. Instead, it was dominant outside shooting. The Runnin’ Utes drained nine triples in the first half.
There seemed to be a lid on the rim for ASU as it finished with only 10 points in the first 20 minutes. Junior forward Obinna Oleka drained two free throws before time expired to get them to that mark. Going into half time Utah led 44-10.
If that score looked familiar the last time ASU visited Utah going into halftime the score was 41-9 Utah.
However the three-ball continued to fall for Utah. The Utes drained a season-high 16 three-pointers in the contest.
As the game headed to the second half, the Sun Devils were finally able to put some points on the board as Utah began to let up. After about 10 minutes of play, Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak let his key players rest for the remainder of the game.
Utah improved its record to 22-7 as ASU fell to an even 14-14 on the season and 4-11 in conference play.
Player of the game: Jordan Loveridge
The senior swingman scored all 14 of his points in the first half and almost single handedly put away ASU, draining four threes and had 14 points. It wasn’t even necessary for Loveridge to add anything else in the second half.
Stat of the night: 14 percent
In the first half of tonight’s game ASU shot only 14 percent from the field. Overall, the Sun Devils shot 25 percent and was a telling stat of the blow out.
Biggest concern: Inability to compete
This was the second-straight blowout loss for ASU after a poor performance in Tucson last Wednesday. Even though it was undermanned, ASU was never able to bring the game anywhere close.
Unsung Hero: Obinna Oleka
The junior recorded eight of the Sun Devils 10 points in the first half to go along with 12 rebounds. He has managed to build on his recent success.
What’s Next?
ASU will look to rebound from this tough loss Sunday against Colorado in Boulder. Colorado is coming off an upset win against Arizona.
You can contact Drew Andre via e-mail or on Twitter @DrewJAndre
