Minutes away from tip off as you would expect McKale is touching capacity. The students are on winter break until January 10th so the Zona Zoo will be taking a hit in youth tonight but the replacements are doing their best to fill the void.
STARTING LINEUPS:
Arizona
Parker Jackson-Cartwright
Rawle Alkins
Allonzo Trier
DeAndre Ayton
Dusan Ristic
Arizona State
Tra Holder
Mickey Mitchell
Shannon Evans II
Romello White
Kodi Justice
FIRST HALF
- Ayton wins the tip and looks to establish himself early on the offensive end, he is called for a travel on his first touch of the night. Big block by Ayton sets up a Ristic lay in off of a nice pass from Alkins. McKale is loud and this could quite possibly be the most energetic start i’ve seen out of Ayton. TOUGH DEFENSE! The Wildcats have already forced a couple of turnovers. Dusan Ristic finishes in the paint with great touch, although the box score doesn’t say this is all Arizona thus far the energy levels say other wise, Ayton with a mean put back. Alkins will be going to the line for an and one attempt after the first media timeout. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 8 Arizona State 3 15:48 1ST]
- Alkins converts but Evans II answers on the other end with four points of his own on back to back possessions. Dylan Smith buries a three from the top of the arc. Ayton’s forces a cross court pass in the half set and it's picked off going the other way for a two handed jam from Martin. Dylan Smith steps into a long ball with confidence and swishes his second three of the night. Brandon Randolph in on the action, gets a chance to show his stroke from deep netting his first three point attempt. This one is back and forth, quick possessions for both teams, not many half court sets.
[SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 18 Arizona State 17 11:31 1ST]
- Ristic with some nice footwork in the paint but gets rejected leading to a three point hit from Shibel on the other end. Ayton hits one of two free throws, Martin knocks in a three to give ASU their first lead of the night. Ayton gets fouled at the rim in transition, while walking to the free throw line he bumped one of the ASU players standing in the paint on his way back to the huddle. He is charged with a technical foul. Evans II cashes in on a weak call by hitting both from the line. Nice hand by PJC forcing a turnover then assisting Alkins in transition. Ayton with another nice block. Doing what the talented freshman does, he misses a layup then dunks his own miss, he’s just different folks. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 25 ASU 24 7:45 1ST]
- Dylan Smith is on fire from deep, he's now 3-3 from long range. A Rawle Alkins steal led to that three in transition from Smith. Holder hits two free throws to bring the Sun Devils within two. Wildcat turnover in front of the ASU bench leads to a lay up on the other end for the Sun Devils, tie ball game at 28 a piece. Mitchell with another layup for ASU and they're back in the lead for the second time tonight. Tough defense on both ends, a lot of passion as you would expect in a rivalry game. By the way, Smith finally missed one from deep, if he can prove to be a reliable shooter from the wing he could really help down the stretch. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 28 Arizona State 30 3:48 1ST]
- Ayton finally finds his shot getting one to fall from midrange. Lake responds on the other end. Kodi Justice hits a contested three silencing any momentum in the building giving the Sun Devils their biggest lead of the night. Ristic hits two free throws. Allonzo Trier hits a three ball to tie the game at 35 all. Trier with a steal leading to a drawn foul after a coast to coast effort, perfect at the line for Allonzo, Cats back in the lead. Ayton shows off his footwork finishing with a reverse lay up. Evans II gets fouled at the rim and knocks down both of his free throws. Controversial call ends the half with the Cats ahead by a possession, looked to most of McKale that Triers shot attempt was interfered by an ASU defender. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 39 Arizona State 37 - END OF FIRST HALF]
HALFTIME STATS:
SECOND HALF
- Sloppy start to the second half out of Arizona but they didn't lose the lead out of it. Ayton with a nice reverse jam under the basket to bring the crowd to it's feet. He can't convert at the line, Wildcats up two. Parker Jackson-Cartwright knocks down a three pointer of his own. Ayton again with a nice defensive play, a quick hand from the big man knocks the entry pass loose and the Cats end up turning the ball over in transition. It seems to all be coming together for him, if he can defend at a high level and score night in and night out his career after college will also be one to watch. Alkins converts to push the Wildcat lead to seven. White scores to chip into the run but it doesn't matter much Trier hits another three pointer on the other end. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 49 Arizona State 41 15:54 2ND HALF]
- Ayton forces a walk on Kodi Justice, I don't mean to keep talking about his defense but he's been so efficient on both ends of the court tonight and that's exactly what the Cats need to make a run in March. A two handed slam from Ayton! He draws a foul on the play and converts the and one. Allonzo Trier hits a heavily contested midrange jumper to put the Wildcats up double digits. Side note: even without the students McKale is absolutely rocking. Lake converts at the free throw line on both attempts for the Sun Devils and Dylan Smith just turned the ball over looking for Ristic on the block. Sun Devils cash in on the turnover, Lake tip slams on top of Ristic putting ASU on a small run. Ristic drops in a lefty hook off the glass to stop Sun Devil momentum. Evans II is called for a technical foul on the offensive end, needless to say Coach Hurley isn't happy about it. Trier hits both free throws, ASU's Martin answers. Ristic hits a nice mid range catch and shoot putting the Cats up ten. Bobby Hurley's emotions are getting the best of him, it won't be long until he's called for a technical at this rate. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 60 Arizona State 50 11:19 2ND HALF]
- Ayton with another block leads to a dunk from Ristic. Hurley calls a time out, Cats are up 12 and in complete control of this one. Just as I say that, Sun Devils are on a 7-0 run at the moment, down five. Make that a nine point run, this is a rivalry game after all. score is 62-59. Trier gets fouled at the rim, he hits his first free throw and misses his second. A lane violation from ASU gives him a second chance at the line and he converts. That could be a big point at the end of the game. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 64 Arizona State 63 7:52 2ND HALF]
- Ayton throws the ball away again, probably the only thing negative about his game tonight. PJC makes a tough shot for a smaller guard pulling up with a short range jumper. ASU's Lake misses the front end of the one and one. Trier knocks down a three on the offensive end. Ayton out muscles a crowd of ASU defenders finishing a very contested layup. Trier, still perfect from the line is now 8/8 with the Wildcats up nine, just over five minutes to go. Romello White just fouled out for the Sun Devils, pretty much irrelevant on the offensive end but White was leading ASU in rebounds. DeAndre Ayton is coming into his own in front of our eyes, big lefty finish through contact putting him with 21 and 16 with four minutes to go. Lake finishes with a two handed slam from a sweet pass by Evans II. Evans II follows that up with a reverse layup through contact, he'll be headed to the line after the media time out. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 76 Arizona State 68 3:36 2ND HALF]
- Evans II converts the and-one. Rawle Alkins turns the ball over leaving his feet trying to find Ayton under the basket. Alkins with back to back turnovers providing an opening for ASU. Holder leads all scorers with 29 points, he just hit a big three after the Alkins turnover that brings the Sun Devils within three. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 76 Arizona State 73 2:14 2ND HALF]
- Trier with a big basket followed by an ASU answer. Ayton throws the ball away again providing the Sun Devils with a three pointer opportunity which they convert on making it a one possession game again. ASU is currently on a 13-2 run. U of A breaks the press with some serious difficulty and can't convert with a short clock. Alkins forces a jump ball on the ASU defensive board, Ayton tips in a Wildcat miss putting the Cats up four. Holder at the line for two, he hits them both. Trier at the line for Arizona up two with ten seconds remaining hitting them both, that's the icing on the cake. Brandon Randolph at the line to seal the deal for the Cats
FINAL SCORE - Arizona 84 Arizona State 78
Press conference
Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton
- Allonzo Trier says he simply just didn't have shots go down early in the game but he remained confident and knew shots would start falling.
- Deandre Ayton said he couldn't hear himself on a few possessions and commends the crowd at McKale Center for its energy.
- Trier says the team tried to bring the same energy it would have against ASU as it would if it was Colorado or any other Pac-12 opponent. He adds the he is glad the team to protect the home court in this one
- Ayton says that Miller told the team that this is the way it should have played all season long, and that is the reason neither he or Trier are overly excited in the press conference.
- Ayton says he isn't totally sure what happened on the technical. He felt he was being grabbed so he lifted his arms and he said it apparently looked more malicious than it was, but he was simply trying to get free.
STARTING LINEUPS:
Arizona
Parker Jackson-Cartwright
Rawle Alkins
Allonzo Trier
DeAndre Ayton
Dusan Ristic
Arizona State
Tra Holder
Mickey Mitchell
Shannon Evans II
Romello White
Kodi Justice
FIRST HALF
- Ayton wins the tip and looks to establish himself early on the offensive end, he is called for a travel on his first touch of the night. Big block by Ayton sets up a Ristic lay in off of a nice pass from Alkins. McKale is loud and this could quite possibly be the most energetic start i’ve seen out of Ayton. TOUGH DEFENSE! The Wildcats have already forced a couple of turnovers. Dusan Ristic finishes in the paint with great touch, although the box score doesn’t say this is all Arizona thus far the energy levels say other wise, Ayton with a mean put back. Alkins will be going to the line for an and one attempt after the first media timeout. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 8 Arizona State 3 15:48 1ST]
- Alkins converts but Evans II answers on the other end with four points of his own on back to back possessions. Dylan Smith buries a three from the top of the arc. Ayton’s forces a cross court pass in the half set and it's picked off going the other way for a two handed jam from Martin. Dylan Smith steps into a long ball with confidence and swishes his second three of the night. Brandon Randolph in on the action, gets a chance to show his stroke from deep netting his first three point attempt. This one is back and forth, quick possessions for both teams, not many half court sets.
[SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 18 Arizona State 17 11:31 1ST]
- Ristic with some nice footwork in the paint but gets rejected leading to a three point hit from Shibel on the other end. Ayton hits one of two free throws, Martin knocks in a three to give ASU their first lead of the night. Ayton gets fouled at the rim in transition, while walking to the free throw line he bumped one of the ASU players standing in the paint on his way back to the huddle. He is charged with a technical foul. Evans II cashes in on a weak call by hitting both from the line. Nice hand by PJC forcing a turnover then assisting Alkins in transition. Ayton with another nice block. Doing what the talented freshman does, he misses a layup then dunks his own miss, he’s just different folks. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 25 ASU 24 7:45 1ST]
- Dylan Smith is on fire from deep, he's now 3-3 from long range. A Rawle Alkins steal led to that three in transition from Smith. Holder hits two free throws to bring the Sun Devils within two. Wildcat turnover in front of the ASU bench leads to a lay up on the other end for the Sun Devils, tie ball game at 28 a piece. Mitchell with another layup for ASU and they're back in the lead for the second time tonight. Tough defense on both ends, a lot of passion as you would expect in a rivalry game. By the way, Smith finally missed one from deep, if he can prove to be a reliable shooter from the wing he could really help down the stretch. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 28 Arizona State 30 3:48 1ST]
- Ayton finally finds his shot getting one to fall from midrange. Lake responds on the other end. Kodi Justice hits a contested three silencing any momentum in the building giving the Sun Devils their biggest lead of the night. Ristic hits two free throws. Allonzo Trier hits a three ball to tie the game at 35 all. Trier with a steal leading to a drawn foul after a coast to coast effort, perfect at the line for Allonzo, Cats back in the lead. Ayton shows off his footwork finishing with a reverse lay up. Evans II gets fouled at the rim and knocks down both of his free throws. Controversial call ends the half with the Cats ahead by a possession, looked to most of McKale that Triers shot attempt was interfered by an ASU defender. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 39 Arizona State 37 - END OF FIRST HALF]
HALFTIME STATS:
SECOND HALF
- Sloppy start to the second half out of Arizona but they didn't lose the lead out of it. Ayton with a nice reverse jam under the basket to bring the crowd to it's feet. He can't convert at the line, Wildcats up two. Parker Jackson-Cartwright knocks down a three pointer of his own. Ayton again with a nice defensive play, a quick hand from the big man knocks the entry pass loose and the Cats end up turning the ball over in transition. It seems to all be coming together for him, if he can defend at a high level and score night in and night out his career after college will also be one to watch. Alkins converts to push the Wildcat lead to seven. White scores to chip into the run but it doesn't matter much Trier hits another three pointer on the other end. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 49 Arizona State 41 15:54 2ND HALF]
- Ayton forces a walk on Kodi Justice, I don't mean to keep talking about his defense but he's been so efficient on both ends of the court tonight and that's exactly what the Cats need to make a run in March. A two handed slam from Ayton! He draws a foul on the play and converts the and one. Allonzo Trier hits a heavily contested midrange jumper to put the Wildcats up double digits. Side note: even without the students McKale is absolutely rocking. Lake converts at the free throw line on both attempts for the Sun Devils and Dylan Smith just turned the ball over looking for Ristic on the block. Sun Devils cash in on the turnover, Lake tip slams on top of Ristic putting ASU on a small run. Ristic drops in a lefty hook off the glass to stop Sun Devil momentum. Evans II is called for a technical foul on the offensive end, needless to say Coach Hurley isn't happy about it. Trier hits both free throws, ASU's Martin answers. Ristic hits a nice mid range catch and shoot putting the Cats up ten. Bobby Hurley's emotions are getting the best of him, it won't be long until he's called for a technical at this rate. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 60 Arizona State 50 11:19 2ND HALF]
- Ayton with another block leads to a dunk from Ristic. Hurley calls a time out, Cats are up 12 and in complete control of this one. Just as I say that, Sun Devils are on a 7-0 run at the moment, down five. Make that a nine point run, this is a rivalry game after all. score is 62-59. Trier gets fouled at the rim, he hits his first free throw and misses his second. A lane violation from ASU gives him a second chance at the line and he converts. That could be a big point at the end of the game. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 64 Arizona State 63 7:52 2ND HALF]
- Ayton throws the ball away again, probably the only thing negative about his game tonight. PJC makes a tough shot for a smaller guard pulling up with a short range jumper. ASU's Lake misses the front end of the one and one. Trier knocks down a three on the offensive end. Ayton out muscles a crowd of ASU defenders finishing a very contested layup. Trier, still perfect from the line is now 8/8 with the Wildcats up nine, just over five minutes to go. Romello White just fouled out for the Sun Devils, pretty much irrelevant on the offensive end but White was leading ASU in rebounds. DeAndre Ayton is coming into his own in front of our eyes, big lefty finish through contact putting him with 21 and 16 with four minutes to go. Lake finishes with a two handed slam from a sweet pass by Evans II. Evans II follows that up with a reverse layup through contact, he'll be headed to the line after the media time out. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 76 Arizona State 68 3:36 2ND HALF]
- Evans II converts the and-one. Rawle Alkins turns the ball over leaving his feet trying to find Ayton under the basket. Alkins with back to back turnovers providing an opening for ASU. Holder leads all scorers with 29 points, he just hit a big three after the Alkins turnover that brings the Sun Devils within three. [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 76 Arizona State 73 2:14 2ND HALF]
- Trier with a big basket followed by an ASU answer. Ayton throws the ball away again providing the Sun Devils with a three pointer opportunity which they convert on making it a one possession game again. ASU is currently on a 13-2 run. U of A breaks the press with some serious difficulty and can't convert with a short clock. Alkins forces a jump ball on the ASU defensive board, Ayton tips in a Wildcat miss putting the Cats up four. Holder at the line for two, he hits them both. Trier at the line for Arizona up two with ten seconds remaining hitting them both, that's the icing on the cake. Brandon Randolph at the line to seal the deal for the Cats
FINAL SCORE - Arizona 84 Arizona State 78
Press conference
Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton
- Allonzo Trier says he simply just didn't have shots go down early in the game but he remained confident and knew shots would start falling.
- Deandre Ayton said he couldn't hear himself on a few possessions and commends the crowd at McKale Center for its energy.
- Trier says the team tried to bring the same energy it would have against ASU as it would if it was Colorado or any other Pac-12 opponent. He adds the he is glad the team to protect the home court in this one
- Ayton says that Miller told the team that this is the way it should have played all season long, and that is the reason neither he or Trier are overly excited in the press conference.
- Ayton says he isn't totally sure what happened on the technical. He felt he was being grabbed so he lifted his arms and he said it apparently looked more malicious than it was, but he was simply trying to get free.
Last edited:
