TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jose Perez scored 16 points, Frankie Collins added 14 and Arizona State surprised No. 21 Washington State 73-61 on Saturday night, ending the Cougars’ eight-game winning streak.
Washington State (21-7, 12-5 Pac-12) trailed by seven at halftime, but opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 38-36 lead, which was its first advantage since early in the first half.
Arizona State (14-14, 8-9) roared right back, scoring the next seven points to regain the lead. The Sun Devils wouldn’t trail again.
“Our defense was up to the challenge tonight,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We did a lot of things you have to do to beat a team that’s very deserving of a top 25 ranking.”
The game stayed tight for much of the second half, but every time the Cougars got a few buckets, it seemed the Sun Devils responded with a big shot. Arizona State’s defense turned up the pressure late with blocked shots on back-to-back possessions, and the last one resulted in a fastbreak layup for Adam Miller and a 64-55 lead with 3:38 left.
“We got outplayed today — we got outcompeted,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said. “It’s more of a hat-tip to them. They came out from the get-go. We turned it over seven times in the first eight minutes and it put us on our heels.”
Miller’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left gave the Sun Devils a 69-57 lead. He finished with 12 points. Bryant Selebangue added nine points and seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
Arizona State stopped a two-game skid and bounced back from a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Washington on Thursday.
“We needed a spark,” Selebangue said. “Beating a ranked team, that’s something we needed.”
Washington State split its two games since being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Cougars — now a half-game behind Arizona for the Pac-12 lead — scored a huge win over the fourth-ranked Wildcats on Thursday before falling to the Sun Devils.
Issac Jones led Washington State with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Myles Rice added 13 points. The Cougars shot just 3 of 18 (17%) on 3-pointers.
The Sun Devils went on a 13-0 run early in the first half and pushed to an 18-6 lead. The Cougars recovered fairly quickly, cutting the margin to one, but Arizona State took a 36-29 lead into halftime after shooting 53% from the field.
BIG PICTURE
Washington State: The Cougars didn’t have a good start and that gave the Sun Devils some much-needed confidence. Washington State still looks like a solid NCAA Tournament team, but will now need some help from other teams to win the Pac-12 regular-season title.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils played some of their best basketball of the season, which is a good sign for Hurley, whose job security is a lingering question. Arizona State is a flawed team, but its athleticism and toughness could make it a tough out in the Pac-12 tournament in March.
UP NEXT
Washington State: Host USC on Thursday.
Arizona State: Host Arizona on Wednesday.
