Arizona guard Josh Green sits on the court after being stuffed on a last-second shot at Arizona State in January.Β 

 Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

TEMPE β€” The Arizona Wildcats etched themselves another unforgettable memory at ASU on Saturday, kicking away a 22-point lead and losing 66-65 before a rowdy near-capacity crowd at ASU’s Desert Financial Arena.

Over just the past two decades alone, the more extreme memories have usually been good for the Wildcats.

They saw Lute Olson gesture to ASU students to look at the scoreboard. They had Salim Stoudamire game-winner to help UA win the 2005 Pac-10 title. Kevin Parrom’s no-easy-buckets hard foul in 2010. And watched while a hysterical ASU coach Bobby Hurley was thrown out four years ago.

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But this one was simply disheartening and depressing for the Wildcats.

It featured a complete meltdown that ended with breakdowns on the glass, defensively and offensively. UA shot 28% from the field in the second half, was rebounded 25-16 after halftime and allowed ASU to score 20 points on 18 turnovers.

β€œThey were clearly the more aggressive, hungrier team,” UA coach Sean Miller said. β€œWe had a number of balls go through our hands. We had block-outs that we missed. They got the 50-50 balls… and when you give up 18 turnovers, that’s what you have.”

At the end, ASU scored even when its primary options failed, with guard Alonzo Verge driving inside for a layup with 10.7 seconds left.

The Sun Devils took their first lead of the second half with 4:31 remaining and, on their final possession, watched Verge break through the UA defense for a layup with nine seconds left after Remy Martin and Rob Edwards deferred under pressure.

Arizona State guard Remy Martin (1), left, and Arizona guard Josh Green (0) bounce off one another at mid-court in the second half of their Pac-12 game at the Desert Financial Arena, January 25, 2020 Tempe, Ariz.

β€œRob didn’t force anything or take a bad shot,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said. Verge’s drive β€œwas wide open. There were driving lanes available and his eyes probably lit up when he saw that. He’s a playmaker, and he went out and made a big play.”

Miller said the UA defense's collapse could have been his fault.

β€œOn the last play, we went small and when you go small you have the opportunity to switch pick-and-rolls so you don’t get exposed,” Miller said. β€œWe kept Zeke in as our lone big. He’s pretty mobile… but you know at the end it really didn’t matter. They drove us and shot a layup.”

Nico Mannion, back in the game after missing five critical minutes because of foul trouble earlier in the half, couldn’t get off an effective play in the final seconds, with Josh Green throwing up a contested shot just before the buzzer.

The loss dropped 22nd-ranked Arizona to 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-12, entering a game Thursday at Washington. ASU improved to 12-7 and 3-3.

ASU’s Remy Martin led all scorers with 24 points while Nnaji had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Arizona, his eighth double-double of the season.

With 10 points, UA guard Dylan Smith reached the 1,000-point plateau for his college career, having scored 460 points for UNC Asheville as a freshman, and 535 for Arizona entering Saturday’s game to total 995.

Asked about that accomplishment, Smith predictably said he was thinking only about the loss.

It would be hard to think of anything else. The Wildcats had it rolling early in the game, going on a 22-1 run and keeping ASU without a field goal for over six minutes, while the Sun Devils took several shots that were well off the mark.

Then things changed, with ASU going on a 25-6 run between the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, when Martin scored the first seven points after halftime.

Smith and Miller said the Sun Devils sped them up and forced turnovers, but whatever it was, the Wildcats clearly had their momentum knocked out of them.

β€œWe were not a confident group,” Miller said.

Arizona guard Dylan Smith (3) fights his way into the lane looking for a bucket against Arizona State in the second half of their Pac-12 game at the Desert Financial Arena, January 25, 2020 Tempe, Ariz.

It hurt Arizona and, likely, its confidence, that freshman guard Nico Miller sat out over five critical minutes in the second half with four fouls. Mannion had been a hero in the first half, hitting 4 of 5 3s while leading Arizona to a 43-30 halftime lead, and finished with 16 points.

But he picked up his fourth foul with 10 minutes left and, while he was sitting out, ASU took its first lead of the second half, 60-59, with 4:31 left in the game.

ASU went ahead 63-61 on a 3-pointer from Edwards. But Smith missed two free throws with 3:23 left and UA carried just a 65-64 lead into the final minute, losing the ball on a travel turnover from Mannion but getting it back on the possession arrow after Dylan Smith forced a loose ball.

But Stone Gettings then missed a 3 on UA’s ensuing possession before Verge drove inside for the game-winner.

After halftime, Martin singlehandledly pushed ASU back into relevance, with a jumper, layup and 3-pointer to cut UA’s 43-30 halftime lead to 43-37.

Rob Edwards then sank a 3 to cut it to 43-30 and the Sun Devils tied it at 49 when Jalen Graham hit 1 of 2 free throws with 11:37 left and the momentum never went back into Arizona's hands the rest of the way.

β€œThis shows our will, our determination and our grit,” Hurley said. β€œI’m just super proud.”

Arizona had taken a 43-30 halftime lead after going on a 22-1 run over the middle of the first half and getting 4-for-5 3-point shooting from Mannion, who was returning to his home Phoenix area for the first time as a collegian.

At the start of the game, Edwards and Mannion traded 3-pointers within the first 18 seconds of the game, but it took a sloppy turn immediately afterward.

Arizona head coach Sean Miller and his bench think the out of bounds call should go their way, the game official disagrees, calling Sun Devil ball the first half of their Pac-12 game at the Desert Financial Arena, January 25, 2020 Tempe, Ariz.

UA trailed 7-5 at the first media timeout, having shot 2 for 7 with four turnovers over the first four minutes, while working the ball inside to Nnaji only once. But UA took the lead three minutes later, when Smith hit a 3-pointer to put UA ahead 12-10.

After Verge tied it at 12 with a 17-footer from the left baseline, the Wildcats then went on their 22-1 run, first scoring six straight points to take an 18-12 lead: Gettings scored inside, Jemarl Baker hit a 15-footer and, after Ira Lee blocked Verge, Smith went coast-to-coast for a layup.

Mannion then hit three 3-pointers during the rest of UA’s run, while the Sun Devils missed nine straight shots, many of them badly, before they began pushing back.

β€œThey just kept playing hard and made plays they needed to win,” Smith said. β€œI’ve gotta commend them for that.”

Arizona center Chase Jeter was available to play Saturday but Miller said afterward he wasn’t read to play and did not play him. Jeter has now missed the past three games since Miller said he reported back pain in practice on Jan. 14.

Check out photos from Saturday's game here:Β 

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Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe