Wildcats still rule state
Arizona completes season sweep of ASU with win in Tempe
TEMPE — Arizona’s players left the court after warm-ups to a profane chant from Arizona State’s students. Once the game started, the action got so intense a Wildcats’ male cheerleader was escorted out by security.
No question, the rivalry in the desert has heated up.
One aspect remains the same: Arizona finding a way to win.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 16 rebounds, and No. 17 Arizona used a late run to hold off No. 25 Arizona State 77-70 on Thursday night to sweep the season series.
“It was hard fought,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but we played through some rough patches.”
Arizona (21-6, 11-3 Pac-12) grinded out a victory the first game and got off to a fast start in the rematch, quieting the raucous Wells Fargo Arena crowd by building an 18-point lead.
The Sun Devils (19-7, 7-7) revved up their run game and the fans after finding their groove, going on a 31-6 halftime-spanning run to go up seven.
Arizona clawed its way back and traded baskets with Arizona State until, like it did in Tucson, made the big plays down the stretch. Allonzo Trier scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer during a late 7-0 that put the Wildcats up 7063 with 90 seconds left.
“We’ve got to find a way to not get ourselves in holes early,” said Arizona State’s Kodi Justice, who had 19