Sun Devils fall to No. 11 Kansas 74-55 after 13-point second half

(Photo: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)

Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., is considered one of the cathedrals of college basketball. As Arizona State continues its first season in the Big 12, its journey took the Sun Devils into the historic arena to face the No. 11-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

One of, if not the most iconic program in the history of the sport, Kansas is considered one of the blue bloods of college basketball. The program’s first-ever coach was the creator of the sport himself, James Naismith, and since then, the school has won four national championships with 16 Final Four appearances which is the fifth most among all programs.

Coming off a 51-point dismantling of UCF on Sunday, the Jayhawks (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) were riding high, taking their home floor against the Sun Devils (10-4, 1-2 Big 12). Favored by 15 points entering the game, a blowout was expected.

In the end, Kansas did pull away, asserting its superiority, logging a 74-55 win, on the back of a stifling defense coming out of the halftime break. However, the Sun Devils showed considerable resistance, especially in a scrappy first half, but it wasn’t enough to keep the home team at bay for 40 minutes, and they left the sport’s chapel empty-handed.

ASU Hustle plays gave it a chance in the First Half

With just over seven minutes remaining in the first half, ASU was entrenched in a 24-23 game with the lead. While not as talented as the No.11 team in the country, the effort became the great equalizer in the first half.

As Kansas tried airing a pass out of the Sun Devil’s relentless full-court press, ASU redshirt senior Guard Adam Miller instead had visions of a statement, intercepting the pass. Senior guard Alston Mason sprinted back up court to receive a pass from Miller before finding cutting freshman center Jayden Quaintance who dropped a pass off for senior forward Basheer Jihad for an open emphasis dunk putting the Sun Devils up three. As Jihad roared, the Fieldhouse quieted, matching the apathetic energy from its team on the floor.

Two minutes later Quaintance tipped a seemingly easy rebound away from Kansas player of the year candidate and senior center Hunter Dickininson before finding a cutting Miller for essentially a stolen two points. A minute after that Quaintance was on the floor wrestling a loose ball away from Jayhawks hands and kickstarted a fats break for the Sun Devils that ended in a Mason three to put the Sun Devils up 33-27. The high-energy effort plays across the three-minute stretch from Quaintance and his team had created the inklings of a monumental upset.

The Sun Devils heart-on-sleeve playstyle springboarded them into a 42-36 lead in the house built by basketball’s creator. A first-half rebound advantage along with five forced Jayhawks turnovers had all signs pointing towards a possible upset of one of the conference’s premier programs.

Then the second half commenced.

– Devon Henderson

Second Half Blunder

Arizona State did start the game with a lot of hustle, plays and energy. But as the second half began, all of that went out of the window, as when the Sun Devils took the court for the final 20 minutes, they were a completely different team, and the team only scored 13 points for the entire half.

The Jayhawks started with an 18-3 run that was capped off with two offensive rebounds, resulting in a third-chance three-pointer from junior guard Rylan Griffen. ASU accounted for eight of its 18 turnovers for the game in this span and wasn’t the brand of basketball needed to win in the Big 12.

Offensively, the team looked lost and uncoordinated to what feels like once every game. Senior center Shawn Phillips Jr. displayed this incoordination as he set a screen at the top of the key for Mason and drifted into the passing lane without looking for the ball. The ball hit him in the back, and senior forward KJ Adams Jr. stole the ball and started a fast break the other way, sending the Fieldhouse into a frenzy.

The offense needs to find a consistent rhythm, as these dry spells that the Sun Devils endure won’t translate to wins in the Big 12. The first half was full of hustle, sound sets, movement, and passing on that side of the court. Usually, it’s the first half that ASU struggles with within games, but in Allen Fieldhouse, that narrative changed. The Sun Devils looked lethargic taking the hardwood after the break.

As the team heads into the bulk of conference play, it’ll have to figure something out fast. Kansas won’t be the only top-25 team ASU plays, as the Big 12 is regarded by many as the best conference in college basketball. The team takes on programs like Iowa State, Houston and Baylor, which will all take advantage of ASU’s shortcomings on the hardwood.

– Daniel Rios

Battle of Giants

Not every day do you see humans standing above seven feet tall. One of those rare sights is normal for Jayhawks fans as they watch Dickinson. A matchup between him and Jayden Quaintance was an early season test for the youngest player in college basketball.

On the ESPN broadcast, color commentator and former NBA player Jay Williams shared a quote right before the second half: “Leaders take their teams to a place that goes beyond talent,” Williams said. “Leaders create culture; culture drives behavior, behavior produces results.”

He later said that this quote epitomizes Quaintance as a player.

Quaintance is the only player in the country who averages above nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game. At the same time, he may not be putting up heavy scoring numbers as other top-20 national recruits. But the impact he has all over the floor is surprising, coming from someone who isn’t even allowed to buy a lottery ticket yet.

Dickinson finished the game with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. At the same time, Quaintance finished the night with nine points, 11 rebounds and one block. Jihad started on the seven-footer to begin the game and allowed two baskets. After that, Quaintance switched onto him and immediately forced two misses. The matchup looked to be a promising one early on, and Quaintance caused some trouble. He helped the Sun Devils force Dickinson to his lowest FG% of the season.

The two battled all night, making impactful plays all night for their respective squads. Dickinson helped propel the Jayhawks to a large run to start the second half as he started it. He grabbed an offensive board and then dished it to Kansas senior guard Zeke Mayo for the layup, which started the second-half scoring for the Jayhawks.

Both make winning plays, and that was evident tonight. Dickinson has been doing this for five years in collegiate basketball, and maybe the one-lone bright spot for ASU fans is that Quaintance went toe-to-toe with one of the Big 12’s best.

– Daniel Rios