Sun Devils go deep to stay unbeaten
Romello White scored 22 points to help No. 16 Arizona State slip past St. John’s 82-70 on Friday night in the opener of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Los Angeles.
Shannon Evans II added 18 points for the Sun Devils (8-0), who are off to their best start since 1980-81.
St. John’s rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the second half to trail 7170 on a layup by Shamorie Ponds. But after Remy Martin missed a layup for the Sun Devils, Bryan Trimble Jr. threw the ball away near the Red Storm’s bench and they never got any closer.
Kodi Justice hit a 3-pointer for Arizona State, launching a game-ending 11-0 run. The Sun Devils made 23 of 27 free throws in the game, including their last eight in a row.
Ponds scored 19 points and Marvin Clark II added 18 for the Red Storm (8-2), who had their three-game winning streak ended.
ASU made nine 3-pointers, with Vitaliy Shibel, Evans and Justice hitting three each.
“I do think we’re an entertaining team to watch,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We play on instinct and don’t walk the ball up the court. It’s a fun team to coach because they’re playmakers.”
St. John’s led 19-18 when the Sun Devils closed the first half on a 28-15 run to lead 46-34. Justice scored 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and Evans added seven in the spurt.
OKLAHOMA 85, NO. 25 USC 83>>
Trae Young had 29 points and nine assists for the Sooners, who edged the Trojans in the second game of the Hall of Fame Basketball Classic tripleheader in Los Angeles.
Young, a freshman who leads the nation in scoring, topped 28 points for the sixth straight game.
Christian James added 19 points and Brady Manek scored 15 points for Oklahoma (7-1), who won their fifth in a row.
Elijah Stewart led five players in double figures with 23 points for the Trojans (4-3), who never led in losing their third straight.
Jordan McLaughlin, who finished with 20 points and nine assists, scored five in a row to get the Trojans to 8583. But his potential gamewinning 3-point attempt from midcourt missed at the buzzer.
Women
NO. 1 CONNECTICUT 103, DEPAUL 69 >>
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 20 points and Crystal Dangerfield added 18 to help Huskies coach Geno Auriemma record his 999th career victory with a rout of the Blue Demons.
Auriemma is on the verge of joining fellow Hall of Famers Pat Summitt and Tara VanDerveer as the only Division I women’s basketball coaches to reach the 1,000-win mark.
Samuelson led six players in double figures, and UConn (8-0) set a season high for points.
Amarah Coleman scored 16 points for DePaul (6-3).
OKLAHOMA STATE 87, NO. 7 UCLA 72 >>
Loryn Goodwin had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists to spark the Cowboys’ home upset of the Bruins.
Kaylee Jensen had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Braxtin Miller also scored 19 for Oklahoma State (7-2), whose students stormed the court after the game.
Jordin Canada scored 28 points and had seven rebounds and seven assists for UCLA (7-2).
NO. 15 MARYLAND 80, GEORGE WASHINGTON 54 >>
Blair Watson had 11 points in the first quarter and finished with 19 to lead the Terrapins to its seventh straight victory.
Kaila Charles added 14 points and nine rebounds for Maryland (9-2).
Brianna Cummings had 14 points for George Washington (3-7).
NO. 17 MISSOURI 70, SAINT LOUIS 58 >>
Cierra Porter and Sophie Cunningham posted double-doubles for the Tigers (8-1), who made 9 of 10 free throws in the final 63 seconds to get past the Billikens.
Porter scored 23 points with 18 rebounds for Missouri (8-1).
Jackie Kemph paced St. Louis (4-7) with 18 points.