ASU 77, UO 72
Sun Devils get 26 points from Verge in victory
Arizona State’s Rob Edwards (2) drives down the court against Oregon’s Payton Pritchard (3) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Thursday night in ASU’s 77-72 win. The Sun Devils (18-8, 9-4) have won six straight games and eight of their last nine to propel themselves into the thick of the Pac-12 race. ASU avenged a 78-69 loss at Eugene in early January. Coming into the game, there were four teams within a half game at the top of the Pac-12 with this game involving two of them. The win furthers ASU’s resume for a third NCAA Tournament bid in as many years, something no other Pac-12 school can claim.
Alonzo Verge Jr. scored 26 points, Rob Edwards added 24 and Arizona State beat No. 14 Oregon 77-72 on Thursday night for its sixth straight victory.
The Sun Devils (18-8, 9-4 Pac-12) continued their unexpected charge up the conference standings following a mediocre January. Every team in the Pac-12 has lost at least four league games.
Oregon (20-7, 9-5) bumbled its way through a big chunk of the game, clanking errant 3-pointers and giving up turnovers. But the Ducks used an 11-0 run to it at 54 with 7:17 left.
Arizona State responded with the next six points, which included a 3pointer from Edwards, and never trailed again.
Payton Pritchard had 18 points for Oregon but fouled out with about two minutes left, badly hurting the Ducks’ chances of a last-minute rally. Will Richardson also had 18 points and Chris Duarte added 10.
Oregon struggled for most of the first half, especially in the first few minutes, and missed 11 of its first 12 shots. Arizona State started slowly too, but closed the first half on a 12-4 run. Remy Martin hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to give the Sun Devils a 34-23 halftime lead.
Martin – the team’s leading scorer at about 20 points per game – took an inadvertent elbow to the face midway through the first half and had to go to the locker room. He missed a few minutes before returning and banking a 3-pointer into the basket on the next possession.
The Ducks shot just 37% in the first half and had 11 turnovers.
Big picture
Oregon: The Ducks made a run in the second half to make things interesting but couldn’t totally overcome their rough offensive game. Oregon’s now lost three straight road games.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils continued their mid-season surge with a gritty performance that relied on defense and hustle. The program’s trying to make its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since the 1960s.
Up next
Oregon has another road game against No. 24 Arizona on Saturday. ASU hosts Oregon State on Saturday.