Iowa State Run Beats Arizona State MBB Late
TEMPE – On Saturday, the Sun Devil men’s basketball team played host to Iowa State, ranked third, at Desert Financial Arena. Iowa State (17-2, 7-1) defeated Tempe 76-61 in a back-and-forth contest, while Arizona State (11-8, 2-6) failed to pull off the upset. The Sun Devils and the Cyclones traded shots, with the Sun Devils taking a seven-point lead in the second half. But Iowa State’s late 11-0 scoring outburst helped them pull away.
had a career-high four blocks and one steal in a defensively impressive outing. With thirteen points, Adam Miller was the Sun Devils’ top scorer. Miller scored nine points from outside the arc. Both BJ Freeman and Alston Mason recorded five assists on the day, demonstrating their excellent distribution skills. Joson Sanon ended with eight points, three rebounds, one block, and one steal after making his injury comeback. First Half: With a disputed finish in a close game, BJ Freeman gave the Sun Devils the first goal. Arizona State took an early 5-0 lead after Jayden Quaintance made a three-pointer. During the first four minutes of the game, Iowa State was held scoreless by ASU’s formidable defense.
First Half: With a disputed finish in a close game, BJ Freeman gave the Sun Devils the first goal. Arizona State took an early 5-0 lead after Jayden Quaintance made a three-pointer. During the first four minutes of the game, Iowa State was held scoreless by ASU’s formidable defense. With 13:19 left, Shawn Phillips Jr. made an impression with a putback slam to give ASU a 9–4 lead. Halfway through the first half, Joson Sanon, who was down 12-9, produced a brilliant finish to cut the Cyclones’ lead to one. Adam Miller made two free throws with 8:41 remaining to tie the score at 15.
Basheer Jihad then scored with contact to cut the lead to three points after Iowa State had taken a 20–15 lead. The Sun Devils had some good ball movement after a 30-second defensive possession, which allowed Miller to make the game-winning three-pointer. Miller hit once again with another downtown shot to put ASU in front 23-22. With 4:05 left, BJ Freeman made a triple to put Arizona State ahead 26–24, but the Sun Devils continued to dominate from beyond the arc. Joson Sanon increased the ASU advantage to four points with a corner 3-pointer that sent the house down. After that, Alston Mason made his way to the cup to give the Sun Devils a 36-31 lead. The squad continued their attacking burst, making seven of
Second Half: With ASU ahead 50-45, Iowa State scored five straight points to tie the game going into a media timeout with 11:32 remaining. Adam Miller put Arizona State ahead by two after the timeout. ASU’s first points of the second half came from Basheer Jihad at the charity stripe, which gave the Sun Devils a 42-39 lead. Shawn Phillips Jr. made big plays on both ends, notching another block and expanding the lead to five with a dunk. BJ Freeman then connected with Basheer Jihad on a sweet lob to push the lead to seven.