No. 23 Arizona St. escapes with win College football:
Remy Martin had a rare quiet night in Arizona State’s previous game, playing with what coach Bobby Hurley called a blank look in his eyes.
Martin’s fire was back against Grand Canyon and the Sun Devils needed every bit of it.
Martin hit a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and scored 23 of of his 31 points points in the second half, lifting No. 23 Arizona State to a 71-70 victory over Grand Canyon on Sunday in Phoenix.
“I just decided to take it up notch and be myself,” Martin said.
The Sun Devils (4-2) struggled without leading rebounder Marcus Bagley (left calf ) in a 12-point loss to No. 24 San Diego State on Thursday. Bagley was still out, but Arizona State made up for it with blistering second-half shooting and a much more aggressive Martin.
Arizona State made 15 of 27 shots in the second half of the neighboring schools’ first meeting since 1980,
Martin, an AP preseason All-American, had nine points on 2-of-8 shooting against the Aztecs, but pushed the action against GCU and hit 12 of 21 shots — none bigger than his corner 3 with 9 seconds left.
“It’s just his makeup, how he’s wired,” Hurley said. “He’s got a big heart and he wants those moments. Some guys thrive in those moments and other guys don’t handle so well for whatever reason. He’s proven over and over he’s that type of guy.”
Sue Donohoe, former director of both the women’s and men’s D-I tournaments, died after a brief illness not related to COVID-19.
She was 61. Donohoe was to be inducted during the summer into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, but the ceremony was postponed until 2021 by the pandemic.
Illinois fired Lovie Smith as coach. Smith, 62, went 17-39 (10-33 in the Big Ten) in five seasons at Illinois.
NHL: Pierre Lacroix, the astute executive who was the architect of two Avalanche Stanley Cup championship teams, died. He was 72. No cause of death was given. Lacroix was a driving force behind turning the Avs into a perennial power after the team relocated from Quebec to Denver for the 1995-96 season. The Avalanche hoisted the ’96 Stanley Cup Trophy in their first season in the Mile High City and again in 2001. Known for his shrewd trades, Lacroix struck a deal with the Canadiens to acquire Hall of Fame G Patrick Roy during the ’95-96 season.
Soccer: Neymar was taken off on a stretcher deep into stoppage time as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 at home to Lyon to drop to third place in the French league. Neymar incurred a left ankle injury in the seventh minute of injury time at Parc des Princes following a heavy tackle from Thiago Mendes, who was then red carded. PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said there would be an update on Neymar’s condition after more tests Monday. ... Tottenham and Liverpool both settled for draws Sunday. Both clubs have 25 points, but Tottenham holds the top spot in the Premier League table on goal differential.