‘Cats win thriller over Sun Devils
Tubelis’ shot at the buzzer lifts arizona over in-state rival aSu
TEMPE – Azoulas Tubelis had a hard time adjusting to Arizona State’s tempo and was a nonfactor well into the second half.
With game on the line, the Lithuanian freshman came up with the two biggest plays of the night – maybe of the season.
Tubelis scored on a tip-in at the buzzer seconds after blocking Remy Martin’s layup, capping
Arizona’s 84-82 comeback victory over rival Arizona State Thursday night.
“It wasn’t until about the 15-minute mark that he came alive for us and obviously had that big offensive rebound,” Arizona coach Sean Miler said.
Arizona State (4-7, 1-4 Pac-12) appeared to be in control after taking a seven-point lead, but Arizona rallied to tie it at 82-all with a minute left.
The Sun Devils set up for a final shot and Martin took the ball down the lane, but Tubelis got a piece of the ball, along with his arm.
The Wildcats (11-3, 5-3) rushed the ball up the floor and James Akinjo shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt – he said it was a pass – while being harassed by Marcus Bagley.
Left alone in the lane, Tubelis plucked the ball out of the air and laid it over the rim, sending the Wildcats rushing onto the floor.
Akinjo led Arizona with 24 points.
“I saw the ball going shot and I just caught it and finished,” said Tubelis, who had eight points.
Arizona State let a second straight game slip through its grasp. This one was much tougher to take because of the way it happened.
“We played a winning game and Remy Martin deserved to go to the freethrow line because he was fouled by a player not in the restricted zone,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “The player did not have his arms go straight up, one of his arms contacted Remy Martin when he was shooting the ball. I don’t know what else we really need to discuss”
Martin and Josh Christopher had 18 each to lead Arizona State.
The Sun Devils started the season among the favorites to win the Pac12. They’ve yet to live up to expectations, plagued by COVID-19 issues and inconsistent play on the court.
Arizona State missed five games to positive tests and has yet to have its full team in uniform this season. The Sun Devils arrived at the rivalry game on a three-game losing streak, including a onepoint loss to Oregon State after a couple of late defensive breakdowns.