Despite an undisciplined and sloppy first half, Arizona State was able to pull away from Oregon, with a final score of 70-58 and continue their 14 game winning streak.
At the end of the first half, the Ducks had a 27-25 lead that doesn’t accurately portray how much they were in control to start this matchup. ASU was just shooting 27 percent despite taking over 30 shots. Oregon was moving faster and smarter with the ball, shooting 50 percent and moving up and down the court. Oregon also disrupted ASU’s passing lanes, tipping the ball away left and right, making sure ASU had no easy possessions.
However the narration flipped in the second half, with ASU going on a 10-0 run coming out of the break, clicking both on offense and defense. The Sun Devils were more physical and aware in the paint, scoring 20 points in the paint the second half and grabbing 17 rebounds. ASU’s offense was able to get into a rhythm early on in this second half which helped set the tone for the rest of the game.
Player of the game: Elisha Davis
Elisha Davis single handedly kept the Devils in this game during the first half, leading the team with three steals and seven points. Davis was all over the court on defense, forcing Oregon to make mistakes that prevented them from truly pulling away. Davis hit two key threes in a row to tie the game when it appeared Oregon would pull away. Davis ended the game with 10 points, helping ASU come back to win this one.
Stat of the Night: 12/35 vs. 21/29
For the first half of the game ASU had plenty of possessions, 35 in all, but only scored on 12 of them for a disappointing 34 percent. It can’t be stressed enough how tough it was for ASU to move the ball in the first half, and any stat on the score sheet will tell you that. What changed in the second half is that they scored on 21 out of 29 possessions, for a whopping 72 percent rate. Something woke up this ASU offense in the second half, making it possible for them to win 70-58.
Biggest Concern: Slow Start
Not unlike when they played Arizona earlier in the year, ASU started slow enough to the point where they were in serious jeopardy of losing to a team that has done much worse this season than they have. Maybe it was the 11 a.m. tip off or that their next game is against the juggernaut that is Oregon State, but ASU was simply undisciplined to start this game out. They missed a couple easy layups early on and were forcing shots and passes that simply weren’t there. There’s no reason to shoot 27 percent or trail for nearly 10 minutes against an 8-10 Oregon team.
What’s next:
ASU moves on to Oregon State in a battle of the two top teams in the Pac-12. Tip off is on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena
