(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
The first three games of the night were blowouts that featured 20-point gaps.
Arizona State’s game against Oregon State did not follow that trend.
In what was less a defensive battle and more an offensive struggle for both teams, OSU ended ASU’s tournament bid by a score of 75-66.
OSU opened the game 3-of-4 from three to take an early 9-2 lead as ASU struggled to find its way offensively.
In the game’s first seven minutes, ASU was 2-of-11, its only baskets coming from an offensive putbacks by senior center Eric Jacobsen and junior forward Savon Goodman.
At the 11:46 mark, OSU senior forward Jarmal Reid’s layup gave the Beavers an 11-point lead, its largest of the half. From there, both teams fell into 2-3 zones, and the Sun Devils began to climb back into the game.
The Sun Devils hung around 14 first-half points from Goodman and Jacobsen, who tallied eight and six points respectively and shot 6-of-8 from the field in the first half.
A quick 5-0 run by the Beavers led to a timeout from ASU head coach Bobby Hurley, but OSU extended its lead to 14 points less than a minute later via a dunk from Payton, his first points of the game.
The Sun Devils inched back to seven points down after Jacobsen completed a three-point play with 10:46 left, but the Beavers responded quickly and ASU never got closer than six points in the second half.
ASU never held a lead in the game.
OSU advances to play California tomorrow in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Player of the game: Gerry Blakes
In what was likely his final game as a Sun Devil, Blakes posted a team-high 20 points on 5-of-17 shooting as well as eight rebounds. He was aggressive for much of the night, but it wasn’t enough to bring his team into the next round.
Stat of the night: 22-of-61 from the field
Once again, ASU struggled to find any sort of rhythm and flow on offense. Holder and Justice were particularly quiet, going a combined 6-of-19 from the field for 17 points.
A lack of offense and 14-of-22 shooting from the free-throw line killed any mini-run ASU made at the Beavers’ lead.
Biggest concern: N/A
With ASU’s season over, the next thing on the to-do list for Hurley and his staff is the recruiting circuit.
Unsung hero: Eric Jacobsen
Jacobsen played some of the best basketball of his career down the stretch, and his performance tonight continued that trend. Tallying 11 points and eight rebounds, Jacobsen reached double-digit points for the fourth consecutive game.
Hobbled by an ankle injury in the middle of conference play, Hurley surely would have liked to see that post production much earlier in the season.
What’s next?
Unless ASU receives and accepts an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational, its season ends with a 15-17 record in its first season under Bobby Hurley.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com
