(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
In search of another out-of-conference upset against a Top 10 foe, Arizona State (3-2) came up just short of No. 7 Virginia (6-0), falling 48-45 on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Connecticut. Junior guard Remy Martin’s 21 points paced the Sun Devils offense in a game in which the Arizona State offense struggled to speed up the tempo-savvy Cavaliers.
Despite the slower pace, head coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils had an opportunity to pull off what would’ve been the third Top 10 victory of the weekend for ASU athletics. With 11:33 to play in the second half, freshman forward Jalen Graham’s turnaround jumper banked in to give the Devils a 38-30 lead over the defending national champions.
From there, the Cavaliers were able to clamp down the Arizona State offense, holding the Sun Devils to seven points in the remaining 11 minutes and change. An offensive set for ASU with 14 seconds left created a contested fadeaway 3-point look for senior guard Rob Edwards, who came up short with an air ball.
Only five Sun Devils were able to score during the championship game of the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off – as Edwards and junior forward Romello White each scored 10 points to go along with Martin’s game-leading 21.
Throughout the afternoon, the Sun Devil offensive attack struggled to hit 3-pointers – shooting 5-of-19 from deep. Sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry struggled from beyond the arc, as the El Cajon, California, native missed all five attempts from deep.
The Sun Devils appearance in the tournament finale came after Saturday’s 80-67 win over St. John’s – Arizona State’s third consecutive year in which the Devils have defeated the Red Storm. A 17-point second-half performance from Martin helped the Sun Devils outscore the Red Storm by 22 points over the final 20 minutes of action.
Junior guard Alonzo Verge missed both games this weekend with an unspecified injury.
Arizona State takes on Princeton on Tuesday night at 5 p.m., after the Sun Devils lost at home during December of last season.
