By the numbers: How No. 4 Arizona powered past ASU in dominant fashion

The fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats shook off a miserable start in Tempe, eventually running away with a 91-79 win over ASU to complete the season sweep of their rival.

In doing so, the Wildcats have now won 11 of the last 14 meetings against ASU dating back to the 2015-16 season.

These numbers explain how Arizona reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

14-1: Arizona got a scare in the opening minutes as ASU jumped out to leads of 14-1 and 16-3. The Wildcats missed five of their first six shots from the field while the Sun Devils got four 3-pointers in the first four minutes to gain the early advantage.

37-20: After the 15:49 mark in the first half, Arizona outscored ASU 37-20 the rest of the half to take a four-point lead into the break. The Cats had a run of hitting 10 of 13 shots to eventually grab a 23-21 lead.

4:06: ASU’s last lead of the game came at 4:06 in the first half. Pelle Larsson’s 3-pointer at 3:53 put Arizona in front by one and it never trailed again.

32: The combined points (19), rebounds (11) and assists (2) from forward Azuolas Tubelis. The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week had his highest scoring game since putting up 32 on Utah on Jan. 15 and recorded his second consecutive double-double by grabbing 11 boards.

He’s been Arizona’s leading scorer and rebounder in two straight games.

020922-tuc-spt-uabkbythenumbers-p2 — Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin looks to pass over Arizona State’s Marreon Jackson to center Oumar Ballo during the first half.
Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

19: The fast-paced, score-in-a-flash offense that has become the staple of Arizona under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd was firing on all cylinders in the second half.

The Wildcats created clear separation turning a 43-38 lead into a 59-40 one in a span of four minutes. ‘U of A’ chants echoed in Tempe as ASU coach Bobby Hurley was forced to call a timeout at 15:50 after Benn Mathurin’s transition dunk.

27: Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo combined to score 27 points off the bench. Ballo posted his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Larsson went a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and finished with 14 points.

25: The Wildcats led by 25 points at one point in the second half before the team eased up, which in turn allowed the Sun Devils to connect on some easy baskets late in the game to make the score closer.

9: The Wildcats reached 90 or more points for the ninth time this season. They are 9-0 in those games.

8: Eight of Arizona’s last 11 wins against ASU have come by 10 or more points, including each of the last three meetings.