(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Just one week after a euphoric win over the No. 1 team in the nation, No. 17 Arizona State came out flat and fell to Princeton 67-66 in its final non-conference game of the season.
ASU’s offense was spotty from the start. The Sun Devils shot just 9-32 in the first half while missing all seven of their three-point attempts.
Despite the stellar play Romello White, who recorded five of ASU’s nine buckets in the first half, the Sun Devils went into the break trailing the Tigers 37-30. White recorded a first-half double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Things wouldn’t get much better in the second half for the Sun Devils. The shooting woes continued and ASU closed the game with a 32.3 percent shooting percentage.
To make matters worse, the Sun Devils connected on just 13.3 percent of their 3-pointers in the contest.
It wasn’t until nearly midway through the second half that ASU connected on a 3-point attempt. Rob Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give ASU a 51-49 lead with 10:13 in the game.
The lead traded hands down the stretch, with ASU up 66-65 with under two minutes to play. However, freshman guard Luguentz Dort was called for a foul late in the game and Princeton’s Sebastian Much connected on both free throws to give Princeton a 67-66 lead.
ASU would have three shots on the final possession of the game, but couldn’t sink one before the final horn sounded at Wells Fargo Arena.
A note of concern for ASU fans could be the shooting woes of star freshman Luguentz Dort. He shot just 3-14 against Kansas and made just one of his eight field goal attempts against Princeton.
While ASU didn’t shoot particularly well, the Sun Devils displayed a defense that gave them a chance to win. The squad held the Tigers to 35.1 percent shooting and forced 11 turnovers.
Going into conference play, that should be something fans see the squad rely on, particularly when the shots don’t fall.
The Sun Devils now turn their attention to Pac-12 play in a conference that has been shaky to say the least. The Sun Devils will host Utah on Jan. 3.
