Sun Devils go cold as Colorado uses 17-3 run to pull off win
The Colorado Buffaloes came into Tempe with a little redemption on their minds. They had lost to the Arizona State Sun Devils on a 3-pointer at the buzzer when the teams played earlier this season in Boulder. They also came in with a woeful 1-8 record in road games, although they were 2-2 on neutral court.
But it was visiting Colorado turning back ASU 67-59 Thursday night at Desert Financial Arena, perhaps sticking the final dagger in the Sun Devils NCAA postseason hopes unless it were to win the conference tournament.
ASU (18-9, 9-7) led 56-50 with 5:56 left after a 3-pointer by D.J. Horne but was outscored 17-3 the rest of the way. The only bucket after that was another by Horne that cut the deficit that gave ASU a 59-58 lead with 3:45 to go but the Sun Devils did not score again.
ASU shot 37% (24-for-65) from the field with an 8-for-29 mark from long distance. They attempted only five free throws, making three.
Colorado (15-12, 7-9) shot 42% (24for-57) with a 9-for-24 from deep and a 10-for 11 mark from the line. It also finished with a 42-34 advantage on the boards.
Among the former ASU players in attendance were James Harden and Eddie House as well as more recent grads Rob Edwards and Zylan Cheatham.
Turning point
ASU’s last lead came at 59-58 but as soon as the Sun Devils took the lead, they gave it right back with Javon Ruffian hitting a 3-pointer for a 61-59 Buffaloes lead.
ASU’s next four possessions consisted of three missed shots and a turnover with Colorado grabbing the rebound after each miss. The ASU defense got some stops over then next two minutes to keep the game in reach but Tristan da Silva hit a 3-pointer with 1:11 to go for a 64-59 lead that pretty much sealed ASU’s fate.
From there the Sun Devils were forced into desperation long distance shots and fouls.
“I thought, late in the game, after he (da Silva) hit that three, those last couple of possessions were really bad like to end it,” Hurley said of the shot selection down the stretch. “Overall, I was okay. I’m happy with the players that were taking the shots for the most part. We had some bad turnovers like you can’t turn the ball over after you just turn them over. We did that one time and there was another one in front of our bench where we lost the ball out of bounds. You can’t afford to do that when you’re playing against a team that’s playing pretty well.”
Standout performers
Colorado junior forward Da Silva, who came in averaging 16.1 points, led all scorers with 23 points. He went 7-for-14 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line. The Buffaloes also had K.J. Simpson with 12 points six rebounds and three assists and Ruffian contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.
Junior guard Luke O’Brien was the leading rebounder with 10.
Horne led ASU with 15 points, going 5for-13 from the field. Desmond Cambridge Jr. added 12 points but was only 5for-16 from the field with a 2-for-11 from long distance.
Devan Cambridge had eight points and five rebounds while Luther Muhammad came off the bench and scored eight.
Senior forward Warren Washington made his return after missing two games with COVID. He played 23 minutes and scored six points with five rebounds.
They said it
“I just think sometimes in basketball you get beat, you get outplayed. I think that was the case. They were just a fraction better than us tonight. We had our chances, you know, when we were able to get a little lead there 56-50 and some other times. We were stuck on that number and we just couldn’t make shots. I thought defensively we were okay. I mean, da Silva is a really good player, man. He’s one of the best players in the conference, just based off of what I’ve been watching on tape and seen now today. So, it was a tough one obviously. Tough loss.” - ASU coach Bobby Hurley
“It’s tough, it’s tough. I feel like when we are making shots we can beat anybody in the country just because we have one of the best defenses in the country. When we aren’t making shots, it feels like we can lose to anybody in the country. So, it’s rough, but I have faith in all the guys out on the perimeter. We just got to get back to the drawing board and work harder.” - Senior forward Warren Washington
Up next
The Sun Devils will play their last home game at 4 p.m. Saturday against Utah (17-9, 10-5).
It will be Senior Day with Warren Washington, Desmond Cambridge Jr., Luther Muhammad, Alonzo Gaffney honored in pre-game festivities in addition to walk-ons Micah Burno and John Olmsted. Washington and Gaffney have an extra year of eligibility though.